Losing Faith
by Charlie-Charlie-Charlie
Summary: Thea Montgomery. Psychotic mother. Loser. Social pariah. Could be just a few ways to describe her. But losing her mind? Most definitely. Scott's turning into a werewolf, Stiles is helping him through. And Thea, well Thea is losing her grip. With an Alpha on the lose turning the town upside down. Can Thea survive losing herself? Losing her mind? Or losing her faith?
1. Chapter 1

Losing Faith:

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**_DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TEEN WOLF, OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH TEEN WOLF. THIS IS A STORY OF MY OWN CREATION, WRITTEN FOR MY OWN USES._**

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_Thea Montgomery woke up the same way she did every year, on this day. Her father, Aaron Montgomery, sitting beside her on the pink canopied bed, gently brushing blonde strands of hair from her sleeping face. His grin was broad and infectious and Thea knew what he was going to say before he opened his mouth. _

"_Happy Birthday baby!" He chuckled as the newly ten-year-old sat up quickly and excitedly._

"_Thanks Daddy!" Was the only thing Thea whispered back, the excitement dripping from her words_\- _he continued to grin as he stood up and ruffled the slightly scruffy hair atop her head. As he began to walk to the door, he turned his head to look at the grinning child in her bed._

"_Toby'sbreakfast?" he questioned, already knowing the answer, it was routine for him to wake her up like this, and then grab breakfast for them all;Thea, her mom and himself- from Toby'sthe local breakfast joint in town. The youngster stayed in bed, grinning happily. Dr Montgomery soon left the room, calling out that he'd be back soon, after all the diner was in the centre of town and wouldn't be much of a journey. Thea could faintly hear her mom pottering around in the bathroom, probably getting ready for the day- she probably had work later. Shrugging and reached over to the stuffed purple unicorn Scott and Stiles had brought her the year before for, the not as important ninth birthday- she faintly wondered what they were getting the birthday girl this year, after all- it wasn't every day you turned 10. Thea snuggled Humphrey close to her chest and drifted back off into a peaceful sleep. _

_When she woke up, she was surrounded by warmth. It was similar to being wrapped up in blankets in bed, but it was different somehow. Thea could feel a searing pain on her shoulder blade, the warmth around her aggravating it somehow. The confused girl tried to open her eyes, but the felt heavy- almost like they were glued shut, after trying profusely for several long moments she finally managed to pry them open and observe her surroundings. The familiar blue tiles of the bathroom- instead of the lilac walls of her bedroom stared back at her, further confusing the ten-year-old. Instead of being snuggled deeply in her comfy blankets and pillows she was submerged in a tub full of water. _

_Her pyjamas being soaked and sticking to her skin, were beginning to turn a worrying crimson colour rather than the powder blue colour they were before. It seemed almost familiar to the girl- it almost looked like the colour that came from her knees when she fell over and scraped them. _

_Her eyes whizzed around the room once more at the sound of voices, she could see her mother on her knees next to the tub Thea was in- the woman that gave birth to her was muttering nonsense words and staring unwaveringly at her. Thea was also faintly aware of the constant thumping coming from the direction of the door. Her dad's voice yelling things, and another voice that was vaguely recognised- could be heard. Thea was beginning to feel sleepy again. She could feel herself getting to that half asleep-half half-awake state, until the pain in her aching shoulder made tears spring to her eyes. She was feeling even sleepier as my mother's voice grew louder, her words even more confusing. The befuddled and hazy girl was tired and scared._

_And then it all stopped._

_Yelling and thumping went almost silent as a shrill scream filled the ears of all in the small house. It was obvious to all that little Thea was in pain, Aaron and the Sherriff fought harder to break the door down- shoving with; all of their strength, fear, anger and ferocity they could muster. The girl who was screaming, looked down to see a knife buried in her stomach. Eyes wide and eyebrows furrowed as the blood poured from the wound quickly- drifting through the water and colouring it red. To Thea , it was like everything had stopped when she saw what had happened; her ears becoming deaf to the sounds around her, her body and nerves becoming numb to the pain she should be feeling, the only thing she was aware of was the fact that a band aid wouldn't fix this. _

_Slowly but surely, sound began to return to the injured child- pain flooded through her small body, causing her to call out for help and scream to pour from her mouth like the blood seeping from the gaping wound in her stomach. The knife now gone, and was being drawn across her mother's wrists. More blood was spilled, though this time it was onto the white tiled floor, before a bloody hand reached into the bath and stroked over Thea 's face. Before slowly and sluggishly moving to the wound in her abdomen, one lone finger stroked around the painful area- before prodding into it roughly. Causing the girl to writhe in pain, until the offending finger was removed and she watched in horror as her mother dragged her now bloody finger across the gash on her own body. Mixing the blood together with a look of sheer joy covering her face, Jana Montgomery then collected more blood from her screaming child and did the same to her other wrist- swirling their blood together, muttering to herself and the image in her mind. _

"_Rahshesh melnine arabain, Belac Durh! Rahshesh melnine arabain, Belac Durh! Rahshesh melnine arabain, Belac Durh!" Jana Montgomery's chanting became louder and more deranged, drowning out the sobs and whimpers of her daughter. In Jana's mind, Belac Durh- was smiling opening his arms wide and welcoming her. This ritual would bind them all together, bringing more power into the mix. As Jana and Belac Durh were gaining more power, Thea was struggling to remain conscious. Jana grinned as she felt the ritual complete, her master was sated and bound to her. Thea looked towards the bloody wound on her belly, the tears were flowing freely from her barely open eyes- she watched her mother as she did nothing to help. Nothing to save Thea , nothing to stop the blood or pain. Thea knew a band aid and a kiss wouldn't help her, though she wished it would. She wished her mother would help her, wished this was all a terrible nightmare._

_ But she knew it wasn't, it was all too real. Feeling the pain, observing as if out of her own body. Watching as her mother tore into her with a kitchen knife of all things. Watching with half-closed eyes as her mother slipped into unconsciousness, watching as her dad and the Sherriff were finally able to burst through the bathroom door. Feeling almost relieved as they looked wildly around the room. Thea still fought to keep her eyes open, but she now felt safer. She knew it was over. _

_ At least for now. _

_ Before her eyes slipped shut finally, she heard the soothing voice of her dad. _

"_Oh God… Thea , baby- it's okay. We got you.." Aaron stated rushing to his daughters side quickly. Thea sighed, feeling the cold fingers or darkness finally grasp hold of her. But just before there was no more; Thea heard another voice._

"_It's okay Thea . I've got you now." It was an eerie voice, and only one Thea could hear- it was a voice that would haunt Thea . A voice she didn't recognise, but she would soon come to. _

Thea gasped. Swiftly sitting up in her bed, her bleary eyes glanced around the room. It was a dream, just a dream. A terrible dream of a terrible memory. One that plagued her sleep. One that became more vivid the night before her birthday. Happy sweet sixteen. The walls surrounding her were neither blue tile nor lilac paint. They were cream, and plain, and barely visible to her eyes in the darkened room. She swivelled her eyes to peer at the flashing red numbers on her clock brutally reminding her that it was far too early in the morning to do any of her normal routine. Her gaze swirled around the room, identifying the bare walls- a theme that ran through the almost ostentatious apartment her and her dad lived in.

The walls were all bare, lacking the usual knick-knacks and keep sakes or even photos that would adorn a familial home. It wasn't that Aaron didn't love his daughter- or that she didn't love him back, rather is was the fact that since Thea 's tenth birthday; the two hadn't really been a family. Jana Montgomery had destroyed any and all chance of them being that; forgetting that fateful day, trying to rebuild their lives after such destruction, was damn near impossible.

Thea sat and sighed before turning to her phone on her bedside table and seeing a multitude of messages from. Scott and Stiles, each of them telling her they were on their way to pick her up. that was 15 minutes ago, so they should be arriving any time soon. Rolling ungracefully out of bed and yanking on some sweats to cover her legs and a snuggly jumper to keep her warm in the chilled night air. Slipping on some shoes that were lined up neatly by the bedroom door- Thea stumbled quietly through the apartment, though it was improbable her father was even in at this time- he was usually working the graveyard shift at the hospital with Scott's mom. Doors were locked, elevators were ridden and Doormen were hidden from as Thea made her way out to the familiar blue jeep that was idling by the curb. As soon as the two boys inside were made aware of her presence, Scott leapt out and let her slide into the back seat before hauling himself back in- once everyone was settled Stiles pulled away. The two boys beginning to argue about what 'soundtrack' to have for our adventure.

"Ahem.. Why are you dragging me out in the middle of the night anyways? I was having a lovely peaceful nights sleep.." Thea questioned, after gaining their attention by dramatically clearing her throat. Scott looked over his should at her, frowning as they all knew; Thea 's sleep was anything but lovely or peaceful. It was a known fact to all of them that her sleep was usually disrupted by traumatic memories, that simply refused to stay repressed.

".. My dad got a call about a body in the woods, and no before you ask it is not a body of water it is in fact a human used to be living body- but here's the kicker.. They only have half!" Stiles exclaimed in an excited manner, Thea raised her brows- trying to focus and make sense of his garbled speech.

"So, in answer to your unasked question, we.." he used his finger to gesture between himself and Scott. "Are here to invite you to search the woods with us for the body.." He continued, Thea felt her face pull into a frown; it shouldn't have been such a surprise, that Stiles would drag his hapless friends out in the middle of the night, now officially on Thea 's birthday to search for a random dead body- or half a dead body. It was just the type of warped behaviour and Stiles' screwed sense of fun ; the Sherriff's son didn't seem to grasp the fact that searching for half a dead body wasn't really anyone else's idea of fun. Especially not Thea , who's life had been plagued by enough gore already. Though it appeared the boy with the buzz-cut had deemed this a friendly duty to bestow upon herself and Scott; helping Stiles to live out his perverse little fantasy of finding a body.

Soon, the jeep stopped in its controlled movements and they were due to begin their gruesome quest, the trio had arrived at their destination, or partly to their destination- Stiles had to park further away than normal to avoid being seen by the cops and consequently Stiles' father; the Sherriff. Once the three of them had exited the vehicle, they began to trudge their way through the shadowy and soggy reserve. As Stiles eagerly led the way, Scott and Thea walked slightly slower behind him; Scott lagging as his Asthma was making it difficult for him to keep up with Stile's rapid pace, and Thea was lagging simply because her mind was occupied with her dream. Strangely, it seemed to be the most vivid it had ever been. It was almost like she was being dragged back into the happenings. She could feel everything again; all of the sadness and confusion, all of the savage pain that ripped through her. As if it were aware, the scar on Thea 's shoulder blade and belly ached. It was as if having her thoughts lingering on the events allowed the old wound to re-open, causing her more emotional turmoil. Not noticing her footing was slightly off, Thea stumbled over a fallen log- the others had managed to avoid, luckily as Scott was only a step ahead- he was able to throw his arms up and stop Thea 's descent to the ground. The McCall boy allowed his fingers to drift down to his female companions, slowly interlocking them and gently squeezing as the trio continued on their journey.

"Out of curiosity, which half of the body are we meant to be looking for exactly?" Scott asked from beside Thea , quickly stabilising the less than steady girl as she stumbled yet again over a loose rock or log.

Stiles' reply was quick and concise as ever. "Huh, I didn't even think about that.."

"Did you think about the killer maybe still being out here?" Thea questioned as the grip she had on Scott's hand tightened almost painfully.

"Another thing, I didn't really think about.." Stiles answered sheepishly, at the thought of possibly leading his best friends- since kindergarten- to their possible untimely, painful and vicious deaths.

"There you have it ladies and gentlemen, yet another well thought out plan by the one, the only Mr Stiles Stillinski!" Thea exclaimed in a sarcastic tone- imitating a presenter on some stupid game show. The snarky response was a mask for the way the girl truly felt; emotionally and mentally raw. The group continued struggling through the darkness, clambering up hills, stumbling over rocks and tumbling through foliage- all too soon, Scott released the hand he was holding to use his inhaler as he wheezed, the abandoned hand coming up to rub his back in what was hoped to be a comforting manner. At this point Stiles put his closed fist in the air- _'This kid had been playing far too much Call of Duty.'_ Was all Thea could think as she still rubbed at Scott's back. Upon seeing the lights up ahead of us flash- the three 'sneaky' teenagers dropped to the floor; the dirt and leaf covered floor, which would be something the boys would never hear the end of. Up ahead the Beacon Hills PD was searching for the half-body also, and the covert group had almost been caught. Thea and Scott watched in exasperation as Stiles crawled closer to the beams of lights and dog barks.

His companions holding their breaths as they watched him draw closer to the cops and him being ultimately discovered- Thea gasped slightly as something grasped her ankle and pulled her backwards. Her instincts kicked in quickly and she tried to grab on to anything to stop her momentum, and surprise her attacker. Her hands didn't find any purchase in grabbing almost desperately at anything and everything around her. It wasn't until she felt herself being pulled into a chest- which felt almost familiar; it could have been the washing powder his mother used or the body spray the boy dowsed himself in. A breathe of relief left her, as she realised she was in no danger- and allowed herself to relax in Scott's arms as she was safe for now. Scott's shallow breaths puffed against the back of her neck, causing goose bumps to raise in it's wake- small shivers wracked her body as she tried not to think of their close proximity, or the way her best friends arms felt when they were wrapped around her waist like they were right now. The two cowered in the darkness and watched as the Sheriff called out their names waiting for them to appear; before gripping his sons ear tightly and dragging him away from the preserve all together. The two remaining teens, watched on as flashlight beams swung in their direction, searching the area for clues or even the half of the body they were there to discover.

They waited in silence, Scott's arms still wrapped around the small girl pressed to his front; he tried not to notice how fragile she looked earlier when they picked her up for this random adventure, he tried not to notice how her eyes were dull and almost lifeless, or how the tears were still gathered in her insanely dark eyes still, he was desperately trying not to notice how peaceful and content he felt with his arms wrapped around her in the darkness. Her hair smelling faintly of coconut as it blew in his face, Scott was trying to keep his focus on his surroundings and the fact that they could be found out by the local PD at any moment, but try as he might, his focus rested solely on the dainty girl resting in his arms and against his chest. Thea, sighed in relief as she noticed the PD were leaving their area; she looked behind her to see that Scott's face was close to her own.

"I think they're leaving now.. Maybe we should get out of here." She whispered, daring her eyes not to be drawn away from his own- willing them not to trail to a lower point of focus. Scott just nodded, his features barely visible in the darkness, but Thea could paint a portrait of him simply from memory- she knew his face almost as well as her own. Though still they stayed, silent and still. Thea wrapped in her tan companion's arms. Thea, delved into her own mind- trying to come up with a way from the woods, hoping against hope they wouldn't have to walk to her apartment- even the walk to the McCall residence would kill her.

"What now? I mean the only reason we're even out here is for him. And he's going home, so why don't we?" The shivering girl inquired, huddling close to Scott's body- that boy was exceptionally warm, almost too warm at this point in time; which causing her to be mildly jealous of the fact his body temperature was higher than that of her own. I looked up into his adorable puppy-like eyes waiting for an answer. Scott stared at the girl before him- his poor eyesight not managing to distinguish her features in such low light. His eyes flickering over all of the features in turn; Thea could only imagine the dirt smudging her face and leaves tangled in her ratty hair. The non-committal shrug of his shoulders was all the answer he could give- slowly turning her around, and hugging Thea chest-to-chest. Arms were wrapped around waists and necks, and heads were rested on chests and crowns.

The peace was soon disrupted by the thundering noise of something crashing through the undergrowth. Thea's head shot up, eyes wide as they locked with Scott's own slightly fearful ones. It was a well-known fact that the preserve held home for animals such as coyotes and mountain lions. Unfortunately, there was no time for two to run; as the herd of deer burst through the bushes. They were drawing closer, Scott grasped Thea's upper arm in preparation to run; but before they could make a move in the opposite direction, she was ripped from his grasp and literally thrown back by some unknown force. The rag-dollish manner in which Thea was tossed aside caused her to hit her head on the rough bark of a tree, rubbing harshly at the skin and causing it to bleed- the crimson liquid quickly pouring down her face and beginning to blur her vision. Though not blurring it enough to not notice that Scott was gone, he was nowhere to be seen. It was like in the milli-seconds it took for her to be thrown aside like some piece of unwanted trash, Scott had vanished into thin air. The battered now battered and bruised girl watched as the deer charged past. Once the cantering animals had run past her, The tried searching the immediate area for where Scott had gone, but her searching came up empty, she stared in to the foreboding and lonely darkness that now shrouded her- the fear she now felt, was nothing in comparison to how she felt earlier; she was now completely alone, and almost frozen in terror as she heard twigs snapping and leaves crunching all around her.

Thea darted her gaze around, trying to decipher her surroundings, she knew the best course of action would be to get to the main road- somehow, though she couldn't even guess as to which direction that was in; she also worried for Scott. He too was alone in these woods now, and was probably freaking out just as much if not more. Standing alone, in the pitch black of the night in the woods- Thea then realised of how truly terrifying her situation now was, deciding it might be best to retrace her steps, she turned and started walking. Only to discover that five minutes into her supposed journey back to where Stile had parked earlier, sis she realise she was heading in the wrong direction all together- she was in fact journeying further into the woods. She turned her head to look in the direction she thought she had just come from, her face pulling into a confused frown as she realised she was well and truly lost. Stumbling round in a circle to better gauge her position, though she had no chance. Soon enough the lone girl tripped over her own clumsy feet and fell to her hands and knees; letting her head hang in between her shoulders for a moment, she tried to calm her breathing and her racing heart. She could hear movement in the dense forest all around her, noises that made her mind wander freely and wildly. Lifting her head swiftly as a crunching noise sounded a little too close for her liking; as her face altered its angle, her eyes narrowing trying to pinpoint where the noise had come from exactly, her eyes were drawn towards an abandoned inhaler that was lying uselessly on the floor a few feet ahead of her.

Deciding swiftly against calling out his name, as it was quickly becoming apparent that they were not alone within these woods. She sighed before crawling over to the inhaler, grabbing quickly in her had she shoved it into her joey pouch pocket on the front of her hoody; pulling out her phone she decided that maybe a little bit of light may help her situation slightly. Taking a few more steps in front of her she then realised; she had her phone, and it was highly likely that so did Scott. Letting her fingers dance across the screen of the phone she pulled up his contact beginning a call. Unfortunately for her, Thea's calls all dropped to voicemail.

"God-damn-it! This wasn't the best idea.." Thea whispered out, as she dragged her hand roughly through her knotted hair in frustration. Her conscious reprimanding her for her own stupidity and the knack her twitchy and tan friends seemed to have for convincing her to partake in their hair-brained adventures, that ended with them either being escorted home by the local PD or at the hospital with some unfortunate injury. Kicking her foot out as part of the on-going tantrum she was having, it hit against something she assumed was a damp fallen log- though it was even more damp than she first assumed; her foot almost made a squishing noise as it made contact. Biting her lip, as she experienced no pain- she decided it would be a good idea to take a closer look at this tree stump and investigate. The girl dropped to a crouch, eyebrows drawing down into a frown- she lifted her hands in front of her, suspiciously poking at the thing before her. Shaking fingers felt over the top of the foreign object, feeling and trying to discover what it was. It was soft, and smooth; but cold, so cold it was almost frozen. Soon enough her hand was pulled away from the object, one hand reaching to lift her phone and illuminate the screen to aid her investigation. Soon the beam of light was resting on something dark it was a strange shape, moving her hand over the unknown.

A gasp left her lips, as she realised what she was looking at. Her eyes had found the bloody beginning of the object; and it was no object. It was the bottom half of a body. The legs were clothed in some dark jeans and some flat boots. Her hands flew to her mouth, stifling the scream, her phone dropping to the ground beside her. Stumbling as far away from the half corpse as she could Thea felt tears trailing down her face, mixing with the blood that was already dripping from her forehead. Taking a moment and gasping air into her lungs, quickly- so quickly it was causing her pain. Thea scrambled towards her phone gripping it and putting it back into her pocket she scrabbled to her feet and turned away from the corpse lying not too far from her. She heard twigs snapping, growls echoing and a scream not too far off; then a loud howl ripped through the air.

"It's okay Thea. I've got you now." A voice whispered so close to her ear, Thea turned her head to see whom was whispering to her. No one was there however, Thea struggled to identify the voice; it sounded familiar, but the scared girl couldn't place it- though the voice offered mild comfort and the vision before Thea seemed to fade out. Becoming softer, almost like looking through a filtered camera lens. She suddenly felt more relaxed and able to continue towards her goal. Shaking back her hair, she took a deep breath, before taking a step forwards in the direction she had once come. Though these feelings of calm and serenity were not ones of her own, everything was blurred and almost hazy. Thea felt like she was drunk almost, in that happy and slightly buzzed stage- that stage where everything was doable. She could feel the calm take over her body, but it felt foreign- almost as if it wasn't something she was truly feeling. Her steps weren't faltered, her breathing was normal, her heart rate was almost at a resting beat. Eyes stared ahead, almost blankly- she marched over the slight inclines and followed the path she took before- it was almost as if someone was directing her. Everything was a blur, she didn't remember marching calmly past her previously lost companion, she didn't remember walking into the middle of the road and almost being ran over by a foreign car- she didn't realise that she was being followed by Scott; nor did she hear him calling her name. In fact Thea, didn't remember much after she found the body. It was almost like she was unconscious the rest of the night- she somehow managed to find herself back at the apartment complex, she managed to walk to her apartment and managed to go through her usual nightly routine before she slipped into bed.

The next morning Thea was roused by the clattering in the kitchen; meaning her dad was home from his shift, as usual- he would prepare her a nice breakfast and spend a few fleeting moments with her before she needed to leave for school and then he would sleep for the rest of the day, until she returned from school and they hung out for a while before they had a diner and then he left again for work. Thea sighed and shook her head, to try and clear the cobwebs that sleep had created. Checking her phone for messages, she found she had multiple from both Scott and Stiles- though she ignored them in favour of getting ready for her first day back at school; she tried to mentally prepare herself for the day ahead of her. Having a birthday on the first day of school was never fun, but having a birthday on the first day of school when what had happened to the Montgomery had happened.

She rose form her bed, took a quick shower- washing away the evidence of her night in the woods; she tried to concentrate on what had happened. She tried to remember how she managed to get home, the last thing she remembered was being with Scott; but then they got separated, the next thing she knew she was staring at half of a corpse.. and then she was waking up thing morning. There was a mass of blanks in her memory, which was beginning to worry her. When she closed her eyes to let the water run over her head- the image behind her eyelids was that of the bottom half of a bloody body. A shriek left her lips and the bottle of body wash dropped from her hands unexpectedly. The shriek must have alerted her dad to her being awake, as she soon heard a banging on the door.

"Thea.. You good in there?" Was called through the door, Aaron Montgomery- worried for his daughter constantly. But ever since that devastating day; he had begun to worry even more about her, and irrationally he worried about her going into the bathroom by herself and locking the door. He was never comfortable with the idea, or feeling- that he wouldn't be able to get to his girl because of a locked door, but he understood it was an irrational fear and it was a necessary demon he had to deal with on a daily basis, as his growing teenage daughter needed her privacy. Unfortunately that meant locked doors. He waited in what he hoped was a patient manner- though internally he was freaking out- he was wondering whether or not he needed to break the door down and call an ambulance or not.

"Yeah, I'm good dad.. I-I'll be ready soon.." was all that was called back, Aaron was able to accept that answer. He nodded to himself and went back to the kitchen to continue preparing the birthday breakfast. It was nothing like it had been years before; not a silly breakfast, one which was brought from Toby's, to be shared with the family- no, a breakfast which was home made. Pancakes with chocolate sauce, something simple. And hand made at home.

Thea, sighed and picked up the fallen bottle and continued with her shower. Trying to keep her eyes open, so as not to see that awful sight again. Her hands shook terribly as she stepped out of the shower and began to dry off. Drying off quickly and then drying her hair with the blow dryer- once it was dried, it began to curl before she pulled it up into a high ponytail. Her outfit was simple; a pair of ripped up jeans and a unicorn sweater, some jewellery, and simple make-up and she was ready to go. Grabbing up her bag before dashing out the door of her room and wandering into the kitchen to see her dad waiting with the birthday breakfast. Pulling out a chair she began to pour chocolate sauce on her pancakes before trying to dive into devouring it in a very un-ladylike manner. Aaron just smirked and shook his head at the antics and animal-like behaviour his daughter was displaying, although he liked the fact that she wasn't letting the day get to her; Dr Strauss had said she may finally be coming to terms with what happened, the blocking of her emotions and building walls around herself, were completely normal- and they were easy to get around once Thea was comfortable again- she was safe and happy with her dad, and that lifted Aaron's heart.

"So birthday girl, your totally non-cliché sixteenth birthday present is parked in our spare bay in the garage.." Aaron stated watching as his daughter's eyes went wide. He just grinned, and waited for his daughter's response.

"Daddy.. Is it a pony?" Thea asked, eyes wide and a manic grin stretched across her face. Aaron shook his head, still smiling.

"Why don't we finish up here and then we can go and see?" Was all the reply Thea was given, they finished their pancakes and placed the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Thea finished getting ready and then pulled the discarded converse from last night onto her feet and grabbing her bag before following her dad down to the garage of their building. She looked around the garage and caught sight of her dad's car and then the black unfamiliar one sitting next to it. Thea smiled, throwing her arms around her dad and whispering a '_Thanks_' to him before gripping the keys in her hand, jumping in the new vehicle. The leather was a soft cream colour, the scent was new and inviting and the mirrors unfortunately needed to be altered before Thea could even put her keys into the ignition. Once she was sorted, the radio tuned- phone hooked up to the sound system and mirrors and seat altered she was able to start her new car; it purred to life and Thea grinned. Aaron waved a farewell as Thea beeped her horn before she took off from the bay. Thea found she enjoyed driving in her birthday present more and more as she made her way to the local high school. Her music was playing softly to fill the silence, though it would pause every so often as she received a message from someone- though she ignored them. The drive didn't take long at all, and soon enough she was pulling into a parking space next to the school.

Thea checked her car was locked at least three times before she made her way over to where Stiles was standing and waiting for her and Scott.

"What the hell happened to you two last night? I've been texting you all night and morning- and you never replied.. Scott said he found the body and that he was bitten by something.. and that you were acting really weird when he finally saw you again cause y'know.. you got split up and it was crazy.. and you aren't going to say anything!" Stiles garbled out, without a greeting beforehand.

"Hey Stiles, it's nice to see you're alive too. And I'm so grateful for the birthday wishes.." Thea replied, a sarcastic smile on her face. Stiles narrowed his eyes into a glare before wildly moving his arms around and opening his mouth to speak- but Thea was saved from the response as their third and final companion made his own appearance. Stiles shook his head and turned to the tan boy raising his eyebrows expectantly- Scott on the other hand just looked confused.

"Well.. show us the bite then!" Stiles stated exasperatedly waving his hands round in some kind of hurrying gesture. Scott nodded, before raising his shirt slightly to show a bloody piece of gauze covering part of his abdomen. Stiles didn't seem that affected, until he began reaching towards it as if to rip it from him- Scott smacked his hand away from the site. Thea watched in interest; wondering when exactly her friend had changed and grown up from being that scrawny eight year old. Shaking her head slightly before trying to focus on the conversation going on in front of her.

"What happened before you became something's chew toy?" Stiles asked, lowering his voice slightly to ensure that no one around them could hear the words- cause that would lower their collective social status. Thea rolled her eyes.

"Well the deer appeared and ran through the forest and then Thea and I got separated.. Then I was bitten by something.. I think I heard a wolf howl.." Scott stated, screwing his eyes shut as he tried to remember. Thea watched as Stiles became confused- before she turned her face away from the two boys who began having an argument about whether or not wolves lived in California- apparently they haven't lived in Cali for over 60 years, who knew? She too was struggling to remember what occurred the previous night, one minute she's staring at half a body and also hearing a howl in the darkness- the next she's waking up this morning. It made no sense, how could she not remember a period of time from only a few hours ago- sure, she was tired, but that couldn't explain it- could it?

The boys continued to bicker between themselves; Stiles probably making some snarky remark or sarcastic comment- aggravating Scott to no end, just as Stiles was about to make another comment. Suddenly Stiles' attention was drawn away from the two of us as Lydia Martin strutted towards the front doors.

"This is probably the best thing to happen in this town since.. the birth of Lydia Martin.. Hey Lydia, you look like you're going to ignore me.. Beautiful." Stiles spoke, though he knew it was hopeless; they all did. Girls like Lydia were untouchable, they were like the Goddesses on Mount Olympus. A small frown decorated Stiles' face for a moment before he turned back to Scott and Thea.

"This is all your two's fault you know. You're draggin' me down to your nerd depths.. I've been scarlet nerded by you.." Stiles stated as if it was the most likely reason. Scott just smiled at his friends ridiculousness, Thea on the other hand took more offence.

"Gee. I'm sorry my psychotic mother's attempt on my life has made _you _unpopular. I mean it must be just terrible for _you!_" Thea hissed, malice dripping from each word. She could feel the familiar stinging at the corners of her eyes, though she ignored as she turned from him and stormed into the building before them. She could feel their eyes following her; not only the eyes of her to previous companions, but also those of the people within the hallowed halls of Beacon Hills High. It was no secret what Jana had tried to do. It was no secret that Thea had only survived my some medical miracle. Thea tilted her head down. Her dark hair becoming like a curtain to try and shield her from the prying stares, from the narrowed eyes and snickering gazes. She tried to control her breathing as she opened the locker in front of her. Suddenly out popped four balloons, some streamers and confetti. All of it flying into her face. The hall soon filled with raucous laughter- the student body around her laughing at her. Enjoying her misery. Thea, took a closer look at the balloons that were now bobbing cheerfully before her; they stated 'Happy Birthday!' but they weren't your average birthday wishes, they were coloured with handprints- bloody ones at that. Thea, bit her lip- to try and stem the tears that would soon flood from her dark eyes.

Taking a deep breath, she took out the books she didn't need yet from her bag and swapped them out for the necessary ones within the torture chamber that was now her locker. She shook her hair back from her face and shoulders; the ones around her need not know how emotionally destroyed she was at that moment. She held her head high, shoving the balloons back into her locker fiercely. Before slamming the door closed and turning to face her peers- her tormentors. They were still laughing, some pointing, others whispering and others openly making loud and obnoxious comments. Thea set her jaw, shouldering her messenger bag, hoisting it up slightly. Her dark gaze caught sight of a pale blue one; Isaac Lahey, he wasn't laughing at her pain, instead he looked almost sympathetic and understanding- trying to offer some comfort to her from across the hall. Turning her eyes to look around the area, she noticed a pair of hazel eyes narrowing at the people within the hallway, Thea followed the gaze to a pair of girls who looked far too smug about what was happening. Thea watched ass Lydia set a hard glare on her face and directed it towards two of her minions- something that surprised Thea. Thea let her gaze wander until she spotted Stiles and Scott stood at the entrance; obviously having seen what had just happened, they looked sorry. Especially Stiles. Scott himself looked pained, as if this was affecting him also. Finally deciding on a course of action, the ridiculed girl; looked towards the ground before letting a grin slide on to her face and letting out a laugh that rivalled the sound of the chorus around her. Quickly the mocking laughter was silenced as Thea joined in. Her grin broadened and she turned to strut down the hall to her first class of the day; catching Lydia's gaze once more, Thea almost thought she saw a faint smile pull at the strawberry blonde's lips- almost a look of admiration held within the those hazel eyes.

Thea was the first in the English classroom. Once she was situated; her materials placed out ready, all lined up perfectly, she waited until the classroom filled up with the rest of her classmates. Stiles walked slowly past her desk, it was almost as if he thought if he walked slowly enough he could be forgiven of his previous harsh words- Thea gave in and smiled weakly up at her dorky and mildly insensitive friend. Scott quickly took his spot behind her, resting his hand on her shoulder and giving it a slight squeeze- reassuring her and reaffirming her strength. She placed her hand atop his before moving it to rest on the desk in front of her. Her fingers tapping out an old and familiar rhythm; one tap, two taps, three taps. One tap, two taps, three taps. Continuous. Safe. Calming. Stiles, who was sat adjacent to her spotted this- nudging Scott and motioning to the tapping of Thea's fingers. Stiles let his pen fly across the paper before him; _We need to tell him._ Scott slid his gaze over to the paper Stiles had nudged in his direction, his eyes widened before he shook his head softly. Taking his own pen and writing a swift note back to his best friend; _We wait, watch her. _Slipping it to Stiles, he waited for the reluctant nod; they knew what Aaron had told them. Watch for the signs, if they appear- let him know, immediately. The signs were a message that Thea was struggling and was slipping. And that maybe she needed the help of Dr Strauss again. It started with the tapping, then the counting and then the cleaning and the desperate need for order. The pair of friends watched their other companion- waiting almost in baited breath for her fingers to stop their repetitive movements, though they would be waiting for a long time- as Thea was at the beginning of a very steep and slippery slope. Scott's attention was drawn from the fragile girl in front of him as he heard a cell phone's shrill ring break through the almost silence within the room. He waited to see who's phone it was. He wondered why no one was answering it, and why their elderly English teacher wasn't berating the class. Suddenly a soft voice was heard, one he didn't recognise at this point.

"Mom, three calls on the first day- isn't that a little excessive? I know, I know, I have everything I'm fine. Well I have everything but a pen apparently! Oh God, how embarrassing!" The voice sounded nervous and gentle, and Scott was quickly becoming addicted to the sound, it was interrupted by another voice- one he recognised, the principles voice. Slowly Scott felt himself come back into the room, he looked around trying to see if anyone else had heard what he had just heard. But nobody else seemed to be affected. Suddenly the door to the room opened to reveal the principle standing tall and a companion Scott didn't know- though he wanted to desperately. The girl before him was gorgeous. And she was a mystery he wanted to figure out.

"Students, this is our new student Alison Argent. I hope you make her feel welcome." The principle stated before gesturing to the only empty seat in the room; the seat behind Scott. He felt his eyes widen slightly, before he urgently tapped Thea on the shoulder.

"Hey, can I borrow a pen?" was all that was whispered to the brunette, who in turn sighed and then pointed to the pen on his desk. Scott bit his lip and gave her a pleading look, one that he knew Thea couldn't resist. Ultimately, the girl delved into her pencil case and found another pen before turning and handing it to her friend- who grinned at her upon receiving it; he in turn twisted and handed it to the unfamiliar girl behind him. The final recipient of the writing utensil, just furrowed her brow and smiled faintly to the boy in front of her- it was obvious she was rather confused as to what had just happened. Thea on the other hand, was still looking behind her watched the whole exchange, she felt a strange tugging within her and felt her face draw into a frown, before she rolled her eyes and turned to face forwards. A whispered '_Thanks_ ' was all Scott gave, and Thea promptly ignored it in favour of continuing with the lesson at hand.

* * *

So there we have it; the first chapter of my new story. Hopefully I'll see this one through and finish it!  
I'm really excited about this and I have so many ideas, ch2 is already in the works.

Losing Faith will follow the season as closely as possible with the added characters of my own creation- though it will have to be slightly AU to fit around Thea and her story.  
I hope you enjoy it!

Charlie :) x


	2. Chapter 2

**_DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TEEN WOLF, OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH TEEN WOLF. THIS IS A STORY WRITTEN OF MY OWN CREATION AND FOR MY OWN USES._**

Here it is; Chapter 2. I know it's been a while. And for that I apologise. I've been going back and forth on whether this chapter was good enough yet. I'm happy enough to put it up now. So read and enjoy; leave a comment/ review if you like. You can ask me questions about Thea, and her future, anything. I'm always happy to hear from you!

Happy reading! Charlie :) x

* * *

Losing Faith:

Ch. 2

The rest of the class passed without an incident, which was relieving to Thea in many ways. Being the school freak wasn't something anybody wanted. She had a handful of friends, and then the rest of the school blanked her. Which seemed like the best option for Thea; because if the stunt some mean girls wanting to be on top just pulled was anything to go by- then she was better off being a nobody at this school. She waited until the whole class had left before gathering her materials and stuffing them in her bag; waiting till everyone had left allowed her to save herself some of the embarrassment she would feel if she had to open her locker in front of the masses again. But it also meant she was lacking the time to go to her locker and drop of her stuff and try to destroy evidence of the prank that was pulled on her. The halls were mainly clear, a few kids still loitered not wanting to make their way to class so soon- and when they spotted her, they obviously fell into snickers and quiet laughter. Apparently, the whole school had been informed of what happened before first period this morning; including the freshmen! Her life was one fumble after another apparently, sighing as she made her way to her locker. She noted a new locker buddy stood at the one next to hers. Thea recognised her as the new girl from English class. She took a deep breath in before raising her hand to the padlock on the door.

"I'm sorry about all the staring... being the new girl sucks..." The voice from beside her startled Thea, turning her face to look at the individual beside her. She could feel a glare beginning to set itself on her features.

"I'm sorry, the staring... people are staring because I'm new- I'm beginning to feel like an animal in a zoo..." Alison trailed off with a laugh.

"You think they're staring at you?" Thea responded, at this Alison pulled a face._ 'She must think I'm stupid or something' _ Thea thought.

"Well yeah, I mean, everyone grew up here and now I appear. I'm an outsider, and people are staring because of it.. I just meant to apologise for it. Kind of like a joke, and kind of as a way to kick off a conversation.. And maybe make a new friend?" Alison's face was drawn into confusion, her words were said in a hopeful tone. This new girl, was offering friendship- showing Thea a kindness that even people she'd known since kindergarten hadn't shown her. She thought it only right, that Alison be fully informed before making a solid decision on a future friendship between the two.

"They aren't staring because of you. They're staring because I'm the town freak.." was all the explanation Thea gave for now. Alison looked even more confused, but she nodded anyway. Thea sighed, before entering the combination of her locker; holding her breath as she waited for the torment to explode once more in her face. But it never came. Instead, she found a note pinned to the door; '_I cleaned out your locker, Jerry helped. Happy Birthday Thea. Isaac.' _Thea smiled, she could rely on her little group of outcasts. Maybe Alison could be an addition to the outsider friendship group.

"Are you okay?' Alison asked, breaking Thea from her reverie. Alison seemed genuinely concerned for Thea, which made the previously silent girl let down some of her walls.

" I'm Thea by the way. And just to get this outta the way; my mom lost her mind and tried to kill me a few years back, before she killed herself. And now, I'm the town freak who may or may not follow in my mother's footsteps.. Earlier today, some girls vandalised my locker to embarrass me.. and today's my birthday. The anniversary of when it happened by the way.. so that's why people are staring. They're staring at me, and wondering why you're talking to me. They're probably going to tell you not to be friends with me too.." Thea stated, glaring over at the few people whom were still in the hallway watching the two girls interact; they were hoping and waiting for Thea Montgomery to have a breakdown of some sort, but Thea was refusing to give them that satisfaction.

"I think I can decide who to be friends with by myself.. Besides, I could use all the friends I can get." Alison stated in a loud voice, glaring at the girls in the corner- who up until that point were still giggling and snickering. After discussing which class they both had next; geometry, they set off in the direction of the classroom. They were close to their destination, when suddenly they were accosted by a strawberry blonde fiend that stood at a 5'3 stature.

"Killer jacket.. Where'd you get it?" Was all that was said as a greeting, the comment was directed to Thea's new friend.

"Uhh my mom actually, she was a buyer for a boutique back in San Francisco." Alison answered, looking at Thea out the corner of her eye.

"You are my new best friend!" Lydia stated grinning like a Cheshire cat. Thea stood, beside them both slightly awkwardly. Almost as if Alison could feel the tension building up with her new friend beside her, she linked one arm through Thea's. The hallway became, silent- no hushed whispers could be heard as everyone quieted to watch what would happen next.

Lydia narrowed her eyes at the sudden silence, before turning her gaze to Thea.

"That stuff that happened earlier, wasn't me. I'm not that petty. And trust me, the ones who did do it will pay; because the only one who's allowed to mock my new friends is me.." Lydia stated, the authority in her tone almost sent a shiver down Thea's spine. The strawberry blonde sent a fiery glare to the two culprits, a malicious grin slipping on to her almost too perfect features as they practically shrank back into themselves and into the darkness.

"So ladies, we need to go shopping for outfits later. Thea, I saw something in Macy's that would look divine on you- we need to look amazing for the party on Friday!" Lydia commented rattling off information so quickly it made Thea's mind spin. So not only did she have a new friend in Alison, but now Lydia Martin was also taking her under her popular and protected wing. This day was getting more and more surreal as it went by. As Thea was busy analysing everything that had happened so far today, the trio of girls had been joined by non-other than Lydia's boyfriend Jackson. At the moment Thea decided to re-join the conversation, Alison was informing the couple she couldn't attend the party on Friday cause of '_Family night'_, this information didn't put a dampener on Lydia's spirit though as she began to babble to Thea about how the outfit she'd seem would complement Thea's almost sickly pale skin: Lydia's actual words. Thea wasn't paying too much attention though as her eyes locked with those of Scott and Stiles. Who both looked amazed and surprised at what just happened. Thea was still wondering when and if the punch line would come and how emotionally tormenting it would be. Would it be in a massively public place? Would everyone there laugh? Was this some grand scheme to send her over the edge and into a whole new level of humiliation?

She watched as Stiles raised his eyebrows in question at her sudden new friendships, Thea could do nothing but look like a confused Monkey as she shrugged her shoulders; she was just as befuddled as the entirety of the student body at BHHS. Scott on the other hand was looking wistfully at Alison, a small smile was tugging at the corners of his lips and his eyes were wide as they sparkled at her new companion. Thea shook her head fondly and continued on her way to Geometry, though she was now accompanied by her two new 'friends', her next class was one she took no joy in. Thea not only sucked at the subject, but the two culprits of the locker debacle were also in that particular class- she was wondering to what end they would go to, to see her crack. And now since Lydia had practically proclaimed herself Thea's champion, she worried even more. Sure before people would openly mock her; but then she wasn't in the spot-light, not really, however now that the literal queen bee had decided to befriend her- she was much more noticeable. Once more they were within a classroom, the lessons were barely absorbed- notes were barely written. Mainly due to the fact that the whole school was buzzing; apparently Lydia had taken it upon herself to disinvite the two locker fiends from the party, rather abruptly and publically- if you can call Facebook public, the girls were socially torn apart- and they blamed Thea for this solely, even though it was their own their own vindictive actions that caused their downfall. Thea and the rest of the students at BHHS struggled through the rest of the day. Minds and mouths were full of the Lydia-Thea scandal as well as the fact that some sicko had chopped a girl in half in the woods. And they said Beacon Hills was a sleepy town.

By the end of the day; Thea had, had enough. The stares and whispers were something she should be used to, but they seemed to have multiplied ten-fold, as more and more people were bemused my her sudden friendship with the most popular girls in school. It was a strange ordeal, usually people were snickering at the fact her mother was a psycho and she possibly would turn out to be one too. Thea trundled to the bleachers and prepared herself to sit and watch try outs; after all Scott and Stiles had been begging her non-stop to come. Over the summer she had been lectured by them both of how they would be first string this year, Thea had been to many of their pre-practice practices- each one almost as painful as the last. She found herself a seat, on the cool metal; the frigidity seeped through her denim clad legs, she looked around her surroundings. Not too many people were there to watch the try-outs, but the majority were girls. All hoping to watch the lacrosse studs get all sweaty and aggressive. Which didn't sound all too bad in Thea's opinion, what could be better than attractive guys being sweaty and angry for her viewing pleasure? Suddenly the sunlight was blocked from Thea as another person stood before her.

"Should I curtsy or something? Cause you're literally like BHHS's princess apparent.." The voice stated, Thea lifted her eyes and found she was looking at her frizzy haired friend. Thea quirked an eyebrow.

"How much Game of Thrones have you been watching? And would you just sit down.. You're drawing attention.." Thea whispered, reaching out and pulling the girl down next to her. Erica, looked around over her shoulder and noticed there were a few people pointing 'surreptitiously'. Erica quickly found her place next to Thea.

" A lot, you know I have a thing for Jon Snow… And Jaime Lannister is a fox- well Lion but whatever. Besides, I don't know how to act around royalty. And apparently now that Lydia Martin- the only girl in the world who could out Lannister Cersei herself, has decided you're cool now. The rest of the school are like your freaking subjects. No joke. You are literally the Queen off all losers now.. You're powerful." Erica rambled, her face was excited and she looked like she would probably burst. Thea shook her head before turning back to the field, until a small box was shoved in front of her eyes. Thea frowned before gently taking hold of the small package; it was wrapped in black paper with a silver bow on top. Thea grinned before tearing into the paper and ripping it from the box in delight. Thea furrowed around in the box and pulled out a charm bracelet; holding only three charms, a Unicorn, a T and an E. Thea turned her gaze to the frizzy haired and acne ridden girl beside her.

"I know you hate birthdays and all.. but there's a charm for you and me and then your favourite animal obviously. Happy Birthday Queen Thea." Erica mumbled, holding out her hand- she helped Thea to wrap the bracelet around her wrist before taking her hand and holding it gently. The two girls shared one more faint smile before turning back to the practice in front of them. They watched as Scott was directed to the goal, Thea bit her lip. The boys had practiced pretty much every position on the field the past summer, except goalie. Coach blew his whistle to kick off the try outs, and audience watched as Scott fell to his knees with his hands covering his ears as if shielding them from the shrill sound. As Scott was down some douche decided then would be the opportune moment to send a ball sailing towards the goal; Thea cringed as it hit Scott squarely on the helmet and knocked him on his ass. Thea held her breath as she watched Scott lay on the ground- she wondered if he was going to get back up or not. Her unspoken question was answered as Scott jumped back to his feet, springing up uncharacteristically like some kind of ninja. Thea narrowed her eyes at the sight, something was not right. She barely noticed three more players send more balls towards Scott; and making Thea's eyes narrow even more as the boy in the goal netted every single shot with his stick- saving each ball before it could sail past him. The suspicious girl watched on as Jackson pushed his way to the front of the crowd, he lined up his shot with such arrogance it almost physically pained Thea to watch. Jackson swung his stick back and launched the ball directly towards the net, as though it took no effort at all; Scott swooped his stick forwards and picked the ball from the air, it lay uselessly in the netting and the crowds went wild. Thea was dragged to her feet by Erica, she watched as Lydia, Alison and Stiles all did the same- cheering obnoxiously for the underdog. Once the cheering had died down, and the adrenalin and excitement had disappeared- people began to leave the bleachers, the spectacle now over. Scott looked as if his face would split from the ginormous grin he was sporting, Stiles was jumping all over him and whooping loudly with joy. Thea sent them both a double thumbs up before heading out to her car and home herself; she didn't miss the scowling pout Jackson Whitmore wore. Thea quickly made her way through the masses and was able to drive out of the parking lot eventually.

She made it home in record time, parking her car in the newly designated space she turned the engine off; the constant purr becoming silent. Reaching back and grabbing the messenger bag that was filled with numerous books and assignments that she should really make a start on, but the only thing in Thea's mind was relaxing with her dad on her birthday. And trying to come down from the day and the stresses it brought. Before making any moves to get out of the car; she pulled her bag into the front passenger seat, she then took a deep breath and leant forward to rest her head against the steering wheel. Once her eyes were closed the only image she could see imprinted on her eye-lids was that of the severed body she stumbled upon the night before. The scene was still as grisly and devastating as before. A gasp left her lips as she let her eye lids fly open to try and rid her of the troublesome image. Lifting her head from the wheel and opening her eyes so fast it made her dizzy. Thea tried to shake the image away, but those severed legs were imprinted on her mind. Rubbing her eyes and probably smudging make up as she went, she reached to grab her bag from the passenger seat where she'd dropped it the first time. Something caught her eye, in the rear-view mirror- turning her head to look over her shoulder, nothing was in the back seat or behind the car. Frowning she turned to face the front again, when her eyes caught sight of something again in the mirror. Thea squinted her eyes, looking closely into the mirror, it was just her reflection. Rolling her eyes at her own silliness, she began to laugh; until she noticed her reflection wasn't smiling back at her. It was glaring, eyes narrowed still- but there was something of about the eyes glaring back. They weren't the normal brown, they were black. there was no white or pupil, they were just black- like two dark tunnels in her face. Jerking away from the mirror, Thea was breathing heavily. She pushed her body as far into the seat as she could, the reflection opened its mouth. Letting out a blood chilling scream. the sound so shrill and piercing Thea gasped, trying to cover her ears with her shaking hands but that did nothing to block out the sound that was freezing her to her seat.

The mirror girl stopped shrieking almost as suddenly as she had started, instead she began laughing. A teasing and maniacal laugh that seemed to echo throughout the parking garage, a laugh that was very reminiscent of one from her birthday six years ago. Thea gripped her bag and threw herself from the car- which appeared to lock itself. The terrified girl cowered next to the shiny new vehicle on the cold ground. Pushing herself up to her feet abruptly as she heard a laugh behind her. Her head whipped around searching for the source of the sound, dark hair flying as it flew into her face. Thea tried to stumble her way to the lift, trying to make her escape. Hammering her fingers into the call button on the lift hoping against hope it would arrive before her tormenter did. When the doors finally opened Thea rushed forwards and pushed furiously at the button for her floor. Thea, let her eyes drift upwards; she took in the darkness of the parking garage, the few cars that lingered, and then she spotted it. One lone figure stalking towards the lift itself. As the figure came closer, Thea could see something extended from the individual's hand.

As the figure came closer Thea was able to see the mass of messy and dark matted hair.

As the figure came closer she was able to see the icy blue gaze meeting her own. Soon enough the figure was upon her, thrusting the object in hand into Thea's stomach.

A broken scream left her mouth which was hanging wide. Pain radiated through Thea's body. Hands reached down to try and stem the bleeding. The figure before her laughed the bloody knife hanging limply in its hand.

"_Rahshesh melnine arabain, Belac Durh._.." was all that was whispered, and that's all Thea needed to know who it was. A bedraggled Jana Montgomery stood before Thea, grinning madly. Thea staggered back, resting against the back wall of the lift, Jana also moved backwards but not before blowing a kiss to her bloody daughter. Thea's moans of pain resonated through the empty garage.

A hand gently touched against Thea's shoulder.

"Are you alright dear?" the voice came from Thea's neighbour- from three doors down; she was a single mother who worked at Toby's, Janet was her name and Thea babysat Janet's son Ben from time to time.

Thea let her eyes trail down to her hands, there was no blood covering them. Where the wound should be, there was no pain. Where Jana, or what Thea had thought was Jana backing away, there was nothing. Thea felt her jaw drop, a feeling of relief and confusion swept through her body, instead of answering Thea just nodded.

None of it was real. There was no mirror Thea. There was no laughing or uttered nonsense. There was no Jana. Thea had imagined it all. The lift ride was silent, Thea was buried in her own mind, to busy and befuddled to bother to make small talk. Once the lift stopped on their floor the two women bid each other a farewell and made their way to their own apartments. As Thea shut and locked the door behind her, she sighed. And rested her forehead against the cool metal of the reinforced door.

"Thea?" A deep voice sounded behind her and a shrill scream left her lips. "Woah! Are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you sweetie.." Aaron asked letting his voice soften, to a more comforting tone. Thea rest her hands on her heaving chest, in an attempt to calm both her breathing and her racing heart.

"Its fine.. And you're dressed for work..?" Thea stated as she turned and faced her dad. He was indeed clothed in a crisp blue shirt and a red tie. Aaron, rubbed his hand over his tired face. He knew Thea was disappointed, but it was almost like she expected it. And Aaron was more resigned about it than she was. It was the first year in the past four, that they wouldn't be slobbing in front of the TV with too much chips and dip. The first two years after the incident, Aaron had tried to make everything normal and as it was for Thea. Although try as he might, there was no normal for them now. So one year, Thea decided to change tradition and thus chip and dip birthdays was born.

"Yeah, I know I'm sorry. They called me in. This murder has the town acting crazy.." Aaron stated, almost exasperatedly. Thea nodded her head understandingly.

"Old Mrs Mathers stabbed what she thought was an intruder- she didn't realise the intruder had a key, nor did she realise it was her son, Jason.." Aaron muttered as he checked he had all he needed in his briefcase.

"Go old Mrs Mathers!" Thea exclaimed, nodding her head in admiration, Aaron on the other hand raised a sceptical brow. "Jason's as asshole..".

"Oh she did a real good job, stabbed him six times in the abdomen.." Aaron retorted, smirking slightly as he watched his daughters face fall and her eyes widen. Thea let out a low whistle, still appreciating the old lady's determination to hold her own.

"There's food in the fridge; dip, chocolate, ice cream in the freezer... I'm sorry Thea. I know you're disappointed, so am I, but Dr Adams is on maternity leave and I'm literally the only person available!" Aaron sighed as he pulled his daughter in for a tight hug.

"Dad, it's totally cool. I can just Netflix something and gorge on junk food.. Besides, it's a beautiful day to save lives!" Thea mumbles into his chest.

"That's my line." He chuckled, still squeezing his daughter lovingly.

"I know, I was just borrowing it, but seriously go.. or else you'll be late and he'll have died or something.." was the exasperated reply he got before he was pushed towards door and forced to leave. Aaron just nodded and went through the door. Once he was gone, Thea looked around the large and lonely apartment; not really knowing what to do. Finally deciding to change her clothes into some comfy jammies and collecting some snacks from the fridge before throwing herself onto the sofa and settling to watch some 16 and pregnant. The junk fest began, the TV droned on in the background and Thea loaded her mouth with delicious snacks almost mechanically. Eventually, she was shaken from her junk food haze by the shrill ringing of her cell phone. Lazily she stretched her arms out and tried reaching for it, not having the energy to actually move from her seat, eventually the reaching was too much. and she toppled off the couch with a loud thump. All the while, her phone was still wailing some annoying sound Stiles had set as his ring tone. Angrily puffing her hair out of her face, she finally sat up and collected the device that was almost mocking her.

"Yes?" She grunted into it. Still breathing rather heavily.

"Thea? Are you okay?" Stiles questioned, Thea could imagine the dopey confused look he'd have on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine.. just having a fight with the floor. It won but whatever. What do you want?" Thea supposed her tone may have been rude to some, but Stiles was used to it. As was anyone who was close to the girl. Stiles and Scott who were riding in the Jeep to Thea's apartment, were both struggling to hold in their laughter. They both knew how clumsy their female friend truly was.

"Well Scotty here, managed to lose his inhaler last night on our body hunt. And he needs it back apparently, so we're off to find it.. and possibly look for the missing half of the body. You in? Cause we're on our way to get you now be ready.." Stiles called as he tried to focus on the road in front of him, Scott on the other hand was holding the phone and waiting for Thea's response. Thea stared at the ceiling and rolled her eyes, of course she didn't want to go and wander through the forest again tonight. She was still trying to recover from the previous night's trauma. Her mind was already playing tricks on her, with what had happened in the garage only a couple of hours ago. She had a feeling she'd need to call Dr Strauss and arrange for some appointments. She was obviously severely traumatised by the events she'd been faced with recently.

"Hell no. I was already in need of therapy. Your little adventures have only made that worse, much worse. I'm good, I'm gonna stay home and try not to remember what happened last night." Thea hissed, she was beginning to feel a slightly foreign anger bubbling up within herself. It was like the night previous, the emotions she was feeling weren't entirely her own, and that worried her deeply. After hanging up with the boys, rather abruptly and without a goodbye- Thea took a look around the messy lounge area. It was covered with wrappers and crumbs, there was a pile of un-eaten food on the coffee table. And the pillows were thrown haphazardly around. A quick cleaning session was desperately needed. Thea set to, picking up her trash and binning it properly, before tidying up the rest of the messy couch, it was almost like she was on autopilot. Not entirely aware of what she was doing. She could still feel the rage simmering just under her skin. And she was almost desperate to claim a release. Walking to her room and quickly exchanging her sweat pants for a pair of shorts and trainers. She was ready and out the door. Jogging down the numerous flights of stairs and out the building all together. Her route soon led her away from the town and closer to the one place Thea was reluctant to go. Though she struggled to turn back and find a different route, her body not following the commands she was giving it. It continued to force her to run in the direction of the preserve.

The sky was beginning to darken and the air was beginning to chill, causing goose bumps to erupt all over any bare skin. Though as Thea tried to make her arms rub against the cool skin; they didn't cooperate. They continued to pump beside her body, propelling her forwards with the combined force of her legs and arms moving. Her body continued to lead her through the darkened woods, they were eerie and silent. The pounding of her feet on the soil ground was the only sound that filled her ears, even the rapid thumping of her heart was unnoticeable. Soon enough she realised the route her body had taken, high on the hill was the dilapidated Hale house. It's charred remains stood out from the vivid green surrounding it. As she was stood staring at the skeletal remains of the once immense house, she felt rain drops smoothing down her already frigid skin- though she paid no mind to them as her legs slowly moved her forwards, her footsteps light and steady. Her eyes were focused solely on the building ahead of her, not noticing the area surrounding her. Not noticing the car that was hurtling towards her. Not realising the car was squealing to a halt before her until she heard a panicked voice sounding from beside her.

"Thea!? What the hell! I almost hit you! Are you okay? Oh my God.." Alison called out, her voice a much higher pitch than she was used to hearing. Her heart racing, her breathing laboured- and Thea, Thea was just stood staring at her. Almost as if she didn't recognise her at all. Alison's face became a mask of confusion, as her hair matted itself to her skin; her clothes instantly cooling to the temperature of the freezing water pelting down from the sky above. And Thea, was soaked already, her legs coated in mud- make up dripping down her face, her hair a stringy mess atop her head and a bemused expression covering her face. Alison watched as Thea shook her head.

"Alison?" Was all the girl said. Her focus now solely on her friend beside her. Alison, just nodded her head moving towards the other girl; she looked strangely younger than she was, she looked so fragile and innocent. It was beginning to unnerve the newest occupant of their small county. Thea could feel herself begin to tear up; she was beyond confused. She felt like she was coming apart at the seams, completely she was seeing things, having nightmares, blacking out, not remembering things and now she was wondering through the woods in the middle of the night and the pouring rain only to almost get ran over. She was fraying. And she had no idea what to do about it; so she cried and her tears mixed in with the rain water that was still pelting down on them both. Alison took a few tentative steps towards the girl, sidling up to Thea she slowly wrapped an arm around her gently and led her to the car which was still idling in the middle of the road. Alison felt compelled to comfort her she was beyond worried and beyond scared. She'd almost ran over one of her new and few friends, how lame could she get. Once they were at the car, Alison gently coaxed the almost comatose girl beside her into the waiting vehicle- front of the car and let herself in. Their clothes were sticking to them like a second skin, as Alison let the car lurch forwards and continued in the direction she was previously going.

"So…what were you doing in the middle of the road?" Alison asked gently, so as not to startle the girl beside her; she was like a nervous doe, cautious and gentle. Alison waited patiently for an answer, but was receiving nothing- deciding to look Thea over once more, she turned her face to scrutinize her passenger- who was now sporting a furrowed brow.

"I-I don't know.. I think I was running.." Thea whispered so quietly, Alison had to lean further towards her and squinted her eyes in concentration just to hear her. Alison was now the one with the furrowed brow, how could she not remember what she was doing just moments before, it made no sense. She was still staring at the girl beside her who now looked almost vacant. Thea was drawn into her own mind, her brain trying to grasp what had happened and why. Everything was a blur, and it was beginning to anger her. An anger that was familiar and her own; nothing like the foreign emotions she'd been feeling recently. Thea's eyes zeroed in on the lone figure in the street ahead; it was small and could be easily missed, and it seemed Alison had indeed missed it. Alison startled as Thea let a gasp slip from her lips.

"Alison look out!" Thea cried in a shrilly, panicked voice. Her shaky hand was risen and pointing into the road ahead. Alison span her head to look out the windshield so quickly, she got a crick in her neck. And just as her eyes focused on the black tarmac illuminated in the headlights of her car, she felt the jolt. She heard the thud. She slammed her foot on the breaks.

"Oh god, Thea. Are you alright? I swear I'm a better driver than this..." Alison exclaimed, worry seeping into her words as her eyes averted to look in the rear view mirror, there lying on the ground was a lump. A lump that was cowering and looked animal like.

"Please tell me I didn't hit it.." Was the whispered prayer, before both girls unbuckled their seatbelts and vacated the warmth of the vehicle. They ventured around to the back of the car, there resting on the ground was a dog. It shivered and whined in pain, Alison bit her lips and tried not to let the tears welling in her eyes slip down her cheeks. Thea on the other hand, watched in almost abject fascination- before coming to her senses once more. She took a step towards the wounded animal and gently rested her hand upon it's back, calming the animal until she was able to reach her arms around it and lift it up. The poor dog was quaking in her arms, she motioned for Alison to open the back door- before gently placing the dog comfortably on the back seats. Thea turned and looked at her visibly shaken friend before she rest a hand on her shoulder, motioning for Alison to get into the passenger side of the car. Thea thought it may be better she drive their patient to the animal clinic Scott worked at. The journey was quick and uninterrupted, Alison kept her eyes locked on the dog who was whining still in the back seat. Thea, pressed her foot on the breaks and they slowed to a stop in front of the clinic; the lights were all out, which gave Thea a knot in her stomach- she hoped against hope that Scott or Dr Deaton was still there, she could see Scott's mom's car parked on the opposite side of the road and she let out a relieved sigh. She exited the vehicle and beckoned for Alison to do the same, while she went and hammered on the door- Thea stayed back and gently stroked the dog in the back seat. Alison soon returned with Scott in tow; who looked more than slightly concerned, not only had Alison and Thea almost had an accident and accidentally injured the dog, but the girls both seemed so unsettled and that worried Scott.

He knew Thea was under a lot of stress, her birthdays always brought on an unnecessary amount of stress. Birthdays were supposedly meant to be a good day for anyone; but for Thea they were hell. Especially when people constantly tried to make her 'special day' all the more traumatic. The other brunette was sat in the back of Alison's car, while Alison's dark eyes were glassy with unshed tears- Thea's held a look of worry and compassion, the emotions floating in _her_ dark eyes made his heart clench. He was only now just noticing how truly worn his friend was; her face was drawn, cheeks looking more gaunt than before, her eyes looked more haunted than they did during the day at school, and she generally looked exhausted and as if her own body was betraying her. She was gently stroking and calming the wounded dog, and Scott felt himself smile; though Thea had seen some horror in her short life, though she was tormented daily and more profusely then most, though she knew she was different and just longed to forget her issues- she was still compassionate and caring. And that was a part of his best friend that left a resounding impression on him. It made him feel liked smiling, it almost felt like his heart clenched and smiled at the same time. Thea Montgomery may look fragile, she may be tormented and damaged- but she was strong, and she defied the odds. Scott shook himself out of his thoughts, not realising he had been staring at his best friend with a small smile pulling at his lips; until he noticed Thea was staring back at him, her eyes wide and lips slightly parted. He was pulled from his discovery as he noticed Thea moving around in the back seat; she was trying to gently shuffle the dog from the car, but also get out herself. Which was becoming more and more difficult it seemed. Alison was leading the way back into the clinic, turning on lights as she went- and Scott jumped into action, he motioned for Thea to hand the poor animal over to him as she let herself from the car.

Though this was proving to be more difficult than he first thought it would be, as soon as his arms were close to the canine; it began to growl and bare its teeth to him, it's hackles rising in an attempt to ward off any unwanted attentions from him, it was terrified of him and Scott had no idea why. It wasn't the first time tonight that an animal had feared him. Scott decided to take action, as he noticed the dog struggling in Thea's arms- he could almost taste the fear Thea was displaying, she was beginning to fear the animal squirming and growling in her arms. Scott directed his eyes to that of the fidgeting dog; it tried to avoid his gaze, though failed miserably, eventually it was drawn to maintain eye contact and suddenly it whined and stopped it's frantic movements. Scott was able to grasp it in his arms and let Thea from the vehicle. Just as Thea stumbled from the car- her hand catching on Scott's shoulder to steady herself, Alison appeared in the doorway. She had been wondering where they both were, but she moved swiftly aside to let them enter as they rushed to the door and out of the frigid rain- which had now turned into a storm, thunder and lightning and all. Alison and Thea watched as Scott gently placed the dog on the metal examination table in the centre of the examination room. The dog was still whining and it was beginning to almost pain them all- their empathy towards the suffering animal was palpable.

"I-is she g-going to be okay?" Alison asked her voice wavering as tears streaked down her pale face.

"It looks like she's just broken her leg.. Which sounds bad, but it's not. I can give her a painkiller, set it and wrap it myself. I've seen Deaton do it a thousand times. He can check her over in the morning.. Don't worry, just be glad I was still here.." Scott answered, his voice soft and comforting in an attempt to cease the tears on the crying girl before him. Even with smudged make up and tears staining her skin, Alison was beautiful. Thea breathed a sigh of relief, her body quaking and shivering as the two girls watched almost in awe as Scott went about healing the dog. Alison was smiling softly, when Thea looked over to her- her eyes were shining still, but now they were shining with something other than tears. Thea could tell her new friend was falling in 'like' with Scott McCall. Scott finished up with the dog, and then turned his attention to the two shivering girls in front of him.

"I uhh I have some spare clothes in the back if you guys wanna borrow them and warm up and stuff.." Scott mumbled as he motioned to the back room behind them all. Thea shrugged her shoulders, an ache that had been forming in her shoulder blade- practically screaming with the movement. She hadn't noticed it before, but now that she wasn't in motion or focusing on other things; she was able to feel the angry pulsing in her shoulder blade. Alison looked towards the floor, grinning and blushing- Scott was the sweetest person ever in her opinion. Once Alison had shook herself from gushing internally about the grinning animal saviour, she looked to see Thea practically shivering- the poor girl was covered in goose bumps; though anyone would be in such a sorry state if they were wearing the clothes Thea was, thin white tank top- which was becoming more and more transparent as the moments passed, a pair of baggy shorts that looked far too big, and possibly borrowed, for her stout frame and the clothing that barely shielded her from the cool air around them was soaking wet. Making up her mind, Alison gently rested a hand on Thea's shoulder, gaining the other girls attention.

"You can go first if you like, I didn't get as wet as you.. and it looks like you might turn into a Thea-sicle if you don't change soon!" Alison explained, gently pushing Thea towards the back room where Scott had motioned. Thea gave a small smile, before venturing to re-dress herself.

"I'm not gonna get these clothes back either am I?" Scott called after her, Thea never answered- but laughed raucously in return. Sighing and rolling his eyes with a fond smile painted on his lips, Scott tried not to think of the sheer amount of clothing Thea Montgomery had acquired of his over the years; clothing he was never going to see again, unless it was covering the aforementioned brunette. While Scott was thinking of his best friend and her habit of temporarily misappropriating his and Stiles' closets; Alison was wracking her brain on how to start a conversation with the boy that stood before him, the boy she knew very little about apart from his compassion, the boy that was making her heart pound and stomach flutter with a flurry of butterflies.

"Thanks for uhh helping us. I swear I'm a good driver normally, but with the rain and Thea- I was already freaked out.." Alison started, her brain trying desperately to keep up with her mouth.

"Thea? What happened with Thea?" Scott asked, his mind now clouding over with worry for her. Worry that almost consumed him so much he almost missed Alison recounting the events of the night and all the traumas that came with them.

One of the things that struck him as odd; was the fact the Alison said Thea was running- Thea never ran. Period. Unless it was to the ice cream truck, or the hotdog truck, or the taco truck or the entrance of Toby's from the parking lot; and even then, it was more of a fast paced power walk or a mild jog at most. Scott wasn't even sure Thea knew how to run, without causing some kind of injury. And the fact that it was so out of character was making him feel incredibly uneasy. Should he tell Stiles about this? Should he tell Aaron, or his mom or Stiles dad? He was unsure. He let his eyes drift over to the back room, Thea had left the door slightly ajar. Scott watched as she peeled her soaking tank top from her shivering frame, he tried not to focus on the fact that she was half naked mere feet from him- and he certainly tried not to focus on the lacy black bra that made his jaw twitch and gave him a strange feeling he couldn't quite place. His eyes focused on that bra, and he tried desperately to drag his eyes away- but something was forcing him to continue gazing at his friend. He almost felt heavy; if that was even a way of describing it, his pulse and breathing seemed to quicken almost imperceptibly, and suddenly all at once he was able to lift his eyes and follow the lines of her body. He was aware of Alison and her babbling in the background of his clouded mind- but Thea changing was in the forefront. His eyes drifted; from the wet and tangled hair that was in a mess on the top of her head- some bits falling loose and trailing down her neck and shoulders, his eyes focused on the soft looking skin of her neck and shoulders next. And as he was inspecting the skin from afar, he noticed the furious looking mark on her shoulder blade.

He hadn't seen the marking up close for a few years; but he was sure that it should have healed by now, and he was positive that it shouldn't look so red and bright from afar, it almost looked as if the skin had been ripped open recently in that specific shape. Scott tried to think of any plausible way that an injury like that could happen again. Thea was safe, Jana was locked away in Eichen house and was unlikely to be released in this lifetime. And Thea thought the woman who gave birth to her was dead; a precaution Aaron took after the event, Thea just assumed her Jana was dead, she never questioned it, and Aaron never corrected her. He believed it better for Thea to think Jana dead, than worry about possibly ever being in danger from her again, or paranoid. Aaron knew his daughter, so did Scott and Stiles- and they all thought the same, they knew it was better for Thea to be in the dark about this information. If Thea would have known all those years ago, she wouldn't have healed the way she did. She wouldn't be as strong as she was today. She would have become a shadow of her former self. And those in the know, were fully aware that if and when Thea found out she'd been lied to; the shit would hit the fan in an overly-dramatic and emotion filled way, and they also knew this was better for her in the long-run. They had Thea. And that's all that mattered for now.

After seeing the mark or wound- Scott wasn't entirely sure what it was, on Thea's shoulder, it shook Scott from whatever had a hold of him and his mind previously. He tuned back into what Alison was saying.

"I just, it's so weird y'know. I'm new to town, and suddenly I have not one but two new friends and I've been invited to a party.. It's kind of crazy.." Alison whispered in a wistful tone, causing Scott to smile gently.

"So, is Friday really family night or..?" Scott questioned, suddenly feeling braver at the returned grin Alison had given him. He wasn't sure what had come over him, but suddenly he felt like he could do almost anything. And asking Alison Argent out to the party, seemed like the thing he wanted to do- something was fuelling him to do it; he stated his words carefully, clearly and loudly. It was almost as if he wanted to capture the attention of all in the building, not just the girl next to him- but also that of the girl in the back room, and he had no idea why. Alison's eyes widened slightly, her lips parting in shock. She looked lovely with a light blush covering her face; she looked like Thea in that moment. That thought popped into his head and disappeared almost as instantly.

"You heard that?" Was the whispered response, Alison was mortified. He could tell she was lying about it. Part of her wished to disappear into the floor out of sheer embarrassment- and another greater part of her hoped and wished Scott was asking about it cause he was asking her out. Her stomach was in knots.

Through the entirety of this exchange, Thea was listening in so intently, she was surprised she was still breathing properly. She was cheering Scott on in her head, giving him a mental thumbs up due to his bravery. She was shipping Scott and Alison hard; and they'd only known each other a few hours, and hadn't even been on a date yet, but that could all change by Friday night. And Thea was hoping against hope that Alison would give the dopey boy next to her a shot. Alison just shyly nodded once Scott had finished asking her out, it wasn't hard for Thea to see their connection was almost instantaneous. She could practically see sparks fly when their eyes met. A part of her smarted at the idea of such an instantaneous attraction; she only hoped that maybe she'd feel that way at some point. She wanted to feel normal; have crushes and relationships that didn't revolve around people tip-toing around her fragile feelings. As Scott and Alison were staring longingly into each other's eyes- it was like a scene from a Disney flick or something, and was beginning to make Thea feel incredibly intrusive, she cleared her throat before walking back into the main room. A small smile painting her lips as she took in the embarrassed looks from both of the other occupants. Alison giggled, shaking her head before pointing over her shoulder to the room Thea had just vacated; Thea nodded with a smirk as she and Scott watched Alison leave.

"So.. you finally grew a pair and asked the girl out? Good for you McCall, good for you." Thea stage whispered, giving Scott a real thumbs up this time. A blush gracing his tan cheeks, he nodded shyly grinning ear to ear at his own achievement. Scott let his eyes wander back to the room behind Thea's shoulder, his eyes taking a little peak at Alison changing; he was a teenage boy after all. Thea noticed his eyes had trailed away from her, his jaw dropping slightly as he watched the changing girl behind her. Thea widened her eyes and punched Scott right in the shoulder; ripping his attention from Alison and invading their privacy. Scott looked at his assailant, eyes widening to match his mouth; he started gaping his mouth opening and closing as if he was trying to say something. Thea shook her head, glaring slightly before reaching a hand up to rub her left shoulder blade, it was aching for some reason. Scott watched, eyebrows drawing in, that was where the mark was.

"You okay? Alison mentioned something happened to you.. she mentioned running. I didn't even know you were capable of running without hurting yourself or others?" Scott asked, his brown puppy-dog eyes filled with concern and confusion and Thea's heart broke. She had no answers to give him, she had no answers for herself. And it was beginning to send her over the edge. Her nerves were shot. She just shook her head shrugging her shoulders, and suppressing a gasp as pain seeped through her aching shoulder.

"I'm fine, just tired and probably in shock.. I wasn't too sure I could run either.." Thea replied. Her thoughts running through the events Alison nearly ran her over, and then the dog on top of last night's adventure.. It was all just too much and with the added stress of today and everything.. And the freaky things she'd been imagining- she was lost. "I'm just tired." Thea re-affirmed nodding slightly as she said it, to not only reassure herself but Scott also. Scott nodded, though his face showed how unsure he was. He was still concerned and befuddled by his friend's actions. It was so out of character. Alison soon re-entered the room and they all left; Scott offering both girls a ride home which they swiftly declined. Alison practically forcing Thea into her car as an apology of some sort and driving her home. On the ride back the Argent girl didn't dare to take her eyes off the road for even a second; she was too scared to have another repeat of earlier the events.

The car was silent as Alison used all of her concentration to drive safely through the heavy rain. Thea, sat in the passenger seat and snuggled into her borrowed hoody- it was ginormous on her and smelled just like the boy she'd borrowed it from. Her thoughts were revolving simply around why her mind could be blocking pieces of her memory; it had to be stress and lack of sleep, one of her hands trailed down to the charm bracelet resting lightly on her wrist. The three charms dangled from the delicate silver, and a small smile lit her face. She loved her gift, even though presents were usually given to her days after her birthday, Erica just couldn't help herself every year- and gifted Thea on the day. Though Thea had grown accustomed to it, and tended to look forwards to it. She enjoyed that Erica was nothing like the others. Soon enough Alison had pulled up outside Thea's apartment building, Thea had completely forgotten telling her directions or even her address, but it must have happened. Thea thanked the still shaken girl whom had driven her home; and told her not to worry about nearly killing her. Thea exited the vehicle and made her way back up to her apartment. She decided a shower would be in order; she was covered in sweat, rain, mud and general grime. She threw herself in the shower when it was hot enough and scrubbed away the drama of the night and watched as it swilled away down the plughole with the dirty water. Once her shower was finished, Thea dried off quickly before pulling on Scott's hoody again and got into bed. For the first time in a very long time, she drifted off into a peaceful and uninterrupted sleep.

The next morning the routine of the day before was repeated; Thea was woken by her dad, they ate breakfast together, made plans for later that evening, and then Thea left for school. When she arrived, she easily found Scott and Stiles waiting for her by the front doors; people still stared at her as she walked past. She was beginning to wonder if she'd spilled something on her shirt, quickly checking she found no evidence of that. Her brows furrowed as she still puzzled over her peers' fascination with her- until she felt an arm loop through either one of her own and she was dragged through the entrance, into the school, and to her first period. She had no chance to make a comment or even verbally greet Scott and Stiles before she was whisked away by Alison and Lydia; the two girls on either side of her guiding her. The stares were a constant; but it was nice that it was because of her company for once and not because of her. It soon became apparent that if Alison wasn't there Lydia would be. They literally walked with Thea everywhere. She was beginning to feel overwhelmed by the time the end of the day rolled around- and found herself dashing towards the bathroom to merely escape the twosome who had taken it upon themselves to become her personal tour guides. The day proceeded the same way; Thea was dragged around by Alison and Lydia continuously. Soon enough it was the end of the day. And much to Thea's surprise it wasn't Lydia or Alison who gripped her wrist and dragged her away but Scott and Stiles this time. Being dragged around so often was beginning to make Thea feel like a rag-doll, and she was sure her pale skin would be bruised from the attention it was getting. She was hurried to the Lacrosse field and dumped quite unceremoniously on the bleachers as the boys marched off to the lockers, grinning from ear to ear as if they'd won some kind of prize.

Thea watched as Lydia and Alison came walking up to her, an identical look of confusion on their faces.

"How come you're here already? Me and Alison were going to walk with you.." Lydia said in a saccharine tone, her face smiling- but her eyes held an anger that almost frightened Thea. Alison nodded a true smile on her delicate features.

"Girl bonding and all that jazz. But you're here now, so I guess we'll just join you- right Lyd?" Alison said, gently nudging the strawberry blonde, Thea just nodded absent minded as the two girls sat either side of her. And immediately Lydia began rambling about something or other, and pulled Alison- who was almost reluctant, into the conversation. As the garbling of the girls continued, Thea set her gaze on the pitch and watched as the Lacrosse hopefuls ran out onto the field. Thea could see Scott, Stiles and Isaac instantly- she could also spot some other familiar faces in the crowd of teenage boys. Coach blew his whistle and ordered the hopefuls to gather around, Thea watched on as they began a small and _friendly_ scrimmage. Her eyes followed the quick movements of those on the field. Eyes darting around wildly as the ball flew from player to player, Thea watched as Jackson took the ball from Scott- she watched anxiously as the game progressed. Nothing too notable, until Scott caught the ball- he rushed down the field, soon enough he was faced by two of the opposing defence-men. Thea watched, eyes widening as Scott literally leapt into the air and tumbled over the other players. Flipping gracefully through the air until he landed behind them gracefully on his feet- reaching his arms back and launching the ball into the net scoring a goal without doubt. The field seemed to become silent for a few moments before cheers erupted around.

"McCall! Get over here!" Coach bellowed, his voice echoing over the loud cheers. Scott slowly turned to look at the coach; before he made his way down the field to him.

"What in God's name was that? You trying out for Gymnastics or something?" Coach was still shouting loudly, even though Scott was literally right in front of him.

Scott shook his head wildly. "N-no Coach.." Anyone around the field could see the nerves rolling off of Scott in waves. Thea pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and bit on it softly- suddenly Scott was not only; amazing at Lacrosse and apparently more graceful then a prima ballerina, but he was suddenly the star on the field and it was clear everyone thought so too. The crowd was practically sitting on the edge of their bleachers.

"Well then what the hell was that?" Coach demanded as he thrust his finger accusingly at the field, the vein pulsing on his neck was making Thea feel more and more anxious for her friend who was under heavy scrutiny.

"I-i-I don't know. I was just trying to make the shot." Scott practically whispered as he gestured half-heartedly towards the goal. Coach stayed staring at him stonily, Thea could almost feel the chill his icy gaze was creating from her spot in the bleachers.

"Yeah? Well you sure made the shot and guess what McCall?" Coach asked, his gruff voice not letting on what was about to happen. Thea was still waiting anxiously, she let her eyes flitter over to where Stiles was nibbling his glove- his teeth tearing at their material savagely as he waited in baited breath, Thea genuinely wondered if he was breathing at all.

"You're starting buddy. You made first line!" Coach exclaimed cheerfully, slapping his hand onto Scott's padded shoulder, Scott had a dopey grin on his face as if the recent information hadn't yet sunk in. Thea watched as Scott shook his head slightly still unsure. Thea quickly stood from her position and made her way down to the shocked boy on the field, she ran down the bleachers clumsily- stumbling and practically face-planting every few steps until she reached solid muddy ground. From that point on, she full out sprinted towards Scott who still stood in his previous position. As if sensing her arrival, Scott turned to her just as she threw herself at him. Her squat body slamming into him in an almost painful manner; he wrapped his arms around her giving her a gentle squeeze. Thea let her arms drop to her sides, as she felt Stiles join their little congratulatory moment. Stiles took a slightly different route and clapped Scott on his shoulders in a 'manly' display of joy. Thea had to hold her laugh in as she noticed them both trying to 'act cool' in front of the crowd in the bleachers and other first string lacrosse players. Though as the adrenalin began to fade and seep from their veins, Thea noticed Stiles' features were pulled into a thoughtful look; a slight frown drawing his eyebrows together, his lips pursing slightly. Scott hadn't noticed the physical change in his friend, though Thea knew Stiles had something on the tip of his tongue just waiting to burst forth. Thea was just about to ask what was mithering at the thoughtful boy's mind, before he suddenly and expertly re-arranged his features in to a smile again. Stiles had noticed Thea's gaze on him and didn't need to drag her into his thoughts or conclusions right now, he needed proof not just some half-assed theory. She wasn't ready for the information rattling around his Adderall filled brain, not just yet. She needed to be shielded from this for as long as possible, to maintain her fragile psyche for a little while longer.

For the rest of the day, Scott was on a high- he was grinning and just generally basking in the fact that he was officially on the team. Stiles was less excited and was still biting his tongue about something, Thea could tell. And Thea was watching as Scott and Alison glanced at each other from afar, sharing small smiles and blushes. The day passed uneventfully. And as Thea pulled into her now designated spot; she checked her surroundings thoroughly, ensuring that no one was hiding on the darkened corners of the parking garage. Her phone let out a shrilly whine, alerting her that she had an incoming call- checking the screen to see it was Stiles. Thea thought about her next action carefully, sighing quietly to herself she delicately swiped the screen and declined the call. After all the excitement and the constant bad mood Stiles seemed to be in for the rest of the day, Thea felt too drained to interact tonight. Her sleeping had been a mess since the other day. And it wasn't getting any better as the week progressed.

It was only a few hours before Lydia's party, and Thea was hoping to sneak in a quick nap before she had to go and be Lydia's new toy in front of the school. So she hauled herself out of the car and hefted her bag onto her shoulder- keeping her ears alert and almost pricked like a dog's, her eyes were narrowed at any faint noise she heard as she ventured from her car to the waiting lift at the other end of the garage. She made it without incident luckily, she followed her usual route and finally managed to let herself into the apartment. Thea closed the door, dropped her bag to the floor and trudged her way past the back of the sofa her dad was sitting on. Thea only grunted in greeting and continued on her way to her room. She tiredly pulled her clothes from her body, stripping them and leaving them in a heap on the floor. Usually this would cause Thea to feel uneasy; leaving a mess, clothes screwed up on the floor. But as she struggled to keep her eyes open as she pulled Scott's borrowed hoodie on over her head to sleep in yet again, she found she didn't mind. And soon enough she was dropping heavily on top of the covers and her room was filled with loud, obnoxious snores. Aaron who was still sat on the sofa, listened to his daughters exhausted snores- and decided to leave her to rest for a while. After watching a few episodes of some random TV show and two hours later, did he finally decide it was time to wake the slumbering teen. Aaron got up from the sofa and was about to venture into the almost unknown- that was Thea's bedroom, until he heard a pounding at the door.

Changing his course and opening the door to reveal an impatient looking strawberry blonde girl. She was short in stature, but from the look on her face- Aaron was sure she could and would hold her own. Aaron could feel his face form itself into a frown, until the girl before him painted a smile on her face.

"Hi Mr Montgomery, I'm here for Thea." The girl stated, as if she possessed all the confidence and charm in the world. She was beginning to make Aaron feel slightly uncomfortable, until he watched the unsure look settle in her green eyes.

"I'm Lydia… Thea may have mentioned me and a party. I'm here to help her get ready for it.." Lydia stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Aaron felt his confusion grow- Thea hadn't mentioned a thing. And before he knew what was happening the short girl had barged her way into the abode and was walking around the open plan room, eyeing it and looking for where the girl in question could possibly be.

All the while Thea was tossing and turning in her bed, the sheets were wrapping themselves around her writhing and sweaty body. Constricting her. Her face scrunched as she dreamed; she dreamed of being cuddled to Scott's chest, listening to his calming heartbeat- feeling his lips press against her hair, she was content and wished to lean up and feel those lips press firmly against her own. Which only slightly confused her, when she finally gave into her impulses, lifting her head and letting her eyes meet his. She felt herself gasp, for his comforting and expressive brown eyes were a dead and cold black. It looked as though his pupils had swallowed up the rest of his usually friendly eyes. They were now empty and seemed soulless to her.

"It's okay Thea . I've got you now." Thea heard, she watched as Scott's lips moved- miming the words. But that voice it wasn't his own. But she recognised it. it was so familiar to her yet at the same time completely unrecognisable. She couldn't place it, and she couldn't help the abject fear she felt now coursing through her body. That voice sent chills straight to her core. And when she felt Scott's hand on her arm, gripping a little too tight to be comforting- she let out a scream. A scream that forced her awake. A scream that Aaron never wanted to hear the likes of again, for he had heard Thea scream like that only once before in her life. The last time she saw Jana, the day she had her childhood demolished, the day of her tenth birthday. Aaron rushed forwards and rest his hand on Thea's shoulder as her head whipped around. Eyes wide and shedding tears, for a reason she was unsure of. All the while Lydia, was stood- her lips parted slightly, the strawberry blonde girl was trying to hold in her shock and fear. She could see the Montgomery girl shaking and sweating- it wasn't the prettiest a girl could look, but Lydia found it only slightly irritated her. She stood back, watching as Aaron comforted Thea in whispers; Lydia watched and decided that no matter what her motives were before, whether befriending the strange girl before her was to win over Alison before- it was now more. Her friendship with Thea, was now something she wanted. Thea needed something that was normal and constant, and Lydia decided that from that point on, her and Alison were going to be that new normal. Because her other friends were anything but, bringing Thea under her wing was now a necessity.

"Dad, I'm fine.. really!" Thea muttered a delicate blush decorating her cheeks, one that others may find adorable, but Aaron knew it was time for him to stop worrying about her and let her get on with whatever Lydia had planned. So he nodded, only slightly resigned to the fact that he was no longer needed. Thea sat up in her sweaty sheets and looked to Lydia who was still stood by the end of her bed.

"Lydia. What're you doing in my room? And why does it look like you've packed for a month?" Thea asked, her voice groggy and thick with sleep. Thea, rubbed her eyes and wiped at her face to try and rid the evidence of her nightmare.

"The party. This Friday- as in tonight... I'm here to help you get ready. Alison is going with your friend, so it's just you and me…" Lydia replied already removing various object from her ginormous bag. Thea nodded, though slightly dazed and confused by her answer. She sat still in her bed, still wearing Scott's hoodie, still watching Lydia as she removed article after article. After what felt like an hour, but was only 5 minutes in actuality- Lydia looked up from her task and stared at Thea. Her face became a picture of mild disgust and horror.

"You need to shower. And wash your hair.. Like now." Lydia stated pointing to Thea's messy and greasy bed hair and smudged make up. Thea nodded numbly and grabbed all of her necessities before leaving the room and venturing into the bathroom close by. As she went through the motions of showering and cleaning her body and hair; her thoughts drifted to her dream, more specifically why did Scott having black eyes and an eerily familiar yet unrecognisable voice terrify her so and why was she so willing to let him kiss her to begin with. He mind was boggled and jumbled and even though her thoughts were a messy jumble, her body was now clean. Letting the water run over her body in a soothing manner for a few moments longer before she'd have to face whatever Lydia had planned for her. Thea sighed and rolled her shoulders, turning the water off and stepping out of the shower. Wrapping her favourite fluffy towel around her body before walking out to the hell that waited for her. Lydia had thrown herself precariously on Thea's desk chair and waited for her return; her green eyes observed the room around her, it had no knick-knacks, very few photos and even less feminine touches like clothing anyone would venture from the house in let alone herself. Thea breathed deeply as she entered the room, raising an eyebrow as Lydia inspected everything in a not so subtle manner- the slightly appalled look was obvious and was beginning to make Thea feel slightly uncomfortable and self-conscious. Coughing to gain the strawberry blonde's attention. Finally gaining it, Lydia turned and inspected Thea before opening her mouth.

"I'm going to tell you what needs to be done, all you have to do is nod. Understand?" Lydia stated as she fiddled with the things in front of her, some of which looked like torture devices in Thea's opinion. "This is where you nod.." Lydia murmured in a slightly condescending tone, causing Thea to grit her teeth as she nodded. This was very much like earlier, and the whole process was beginning to irritate Thea. All the while Thea was internalising her frustration to realise, that Lydia was talking through the process she would be using to prepare Thea tonight. The overwhelmed Montgomery girl, looked over the red-headed girl currently speaking at what seemed to be an inhuman speed. Lydia was already dressed immaculately her makeup and hair was perfect, and Thea knew, though the process she was about to go through would be painstaking it would be executed with as much skill and precision as a special ops mission.

Thea had a hair dryer thrust into her hands and was commanded to dry 'the mess she called hair' as Lydia so carefully worded it, during the time it had taken Thea to dry the mop on her head, Lydia had taken it upon herself to root through Thea's drawers looking for appropriate underwear, which made Thea feel extremely uncomfortable. Lydia decided on a pair of hearted undies and a plain black bra- which Thea was thankful for, she was handed them and a fancy looking top she would never normally wear. After being, quite literally shooed from her own room and ordered to change in the bathroom, Thea was beginning to feel tense to say the least. But she dutifully did as she was told and ventured back into her bedroom. Her eyes gaping at the mass of makeup Lydia had spread all over her desk- the books and papers that were lying there previously had been shoved aside rather brutally and Thea repressed a sigh.

"Remind me, that we need to buy you nicer lingerie... You're patterned undies are embarrassing and your bras are just really unappealing.." Lydia mused, not even sparing Thea a glance over her shoulder, before she dramatically turned and faced Thea.

"Uhm.. I don't need lingerie.. I like my patterned undies and plain unappealing bras just fine thanks Lydia.." Thea stated, oy slightly unsure of her words as she spoke them. Lydia narrowed her green eyes and tutted.

"A girl always needs lingerie, you never know when you'll need something as a surprise!" Lydia exclaimed, as if the mere suggestion of boring underwear was a cardinal sin. Thea signed and bit her tongue to keep the words bubbling to burst out simmered in her mouth. Lydia rolled her eyes before strutting over to still partially full bag, the grin that lit up her face as she turned back to Thea was terrifying to say the least. The sadistic looking red-headed had both hands clasped behind her back, with a flourish and an even bigger and scarier grin Lydia pulled her hands forward and offered the previously hidden object up to Thea. It was black and sleek, almost shiny. Tiny in size- it looked like it would clothe a child whatever it was. And that worried Thea all the more.

"The piece de resistance. These and some killer heels, tasteful makeup and artistic curls and you'll be wishing you had lingerie on instead of the miss-match mess you're wearing underneath now.. The boys won't be able to keep their hands off you!" Lydia exclaimed, still waving the object around.

"Uhm Lydia, I don't want their hands on me.. Especially if Greenburg is going to be there. I have enough of that kid ogling my goodies at school, I don't need him coping a feel too!" Thea whispered, almost mortified at the mere suggestion of having someone touch her like that- or even want her like that. "And what even is that!?" Thea demanded waving a weary finger at the object still being brandished in Lydia's hand.

"One word for you Thea. Leather!" Lydia's maniacal grin was back full force. All too soon, Thea was being shoved back onto her bed- and she was being dressed by Lydia. Literally, the crazed red-head was physically lifting her legs up one at a time and shoving them through the leg holes in the skimpy material. With much shoving and tugging, Lydia had managed to get them up Thea's legs to her thighs before she demanded the human Barbie to stand before the tugging and yanking continued. Once the shorts were situated, Thea sighed in relief; but her relief was short lived, as Lydia was pulling her over to her desk chair and coaxed her to sit down- almost as if she was sensing Thea's discomfort. Thea sat there still and obedient as Lydia demanded she shut her eyes; before she began smoothing something here, wiping something there, slicking something on her lips, her face felt heavy as Lydia continued to dab bits of makeup on her face.

"Keep your eyes closed until I say, I want to do the movie style makeover reveal.." Lydia giggled. Thea smiled despite herself, although soon had to repress it- as Lydia demanded her to stop or she'll ruin the hard work already completed. Lydia soon went back to beautifying Thea. Soon Thea was feeling her hair being tugged this way and that, as Lydia began to do her hair. It was a strange sensation, to have someone manipulating at their own discretion- but Thea knew it was probably for the best. As if left to her own devices, she would no way be polished and as prim as Lydia deemed necessary.

"You can open your eyes now, my magic is complete!" Lydia exclaimed before prodding Thea to open her eyes. And open her eyes Thea did, and what greeted her was a shock to say the least. The face staring back at her in the reflection of the mirror Lydia was holding up for her, was not one Thea recognised. Her eyes looked bigger, her cheeks less gaunt, her lips a darker colour and more glossy. All in all it looked as though Lydia had placed a mask on Thea's face. One that looked vaguely reminiscent of the tired looking girl, but at the same time looked like someone entirely different. Thea turned her gaze to settle on the curly tresses that settled on her shoulder; it was strange to look into the glass and see this image being thrown back at her, but not recognise it. She could feel her hair resting the way it did, and face felt heavier than normal- almost as if it couldn't breathe, but it was a foreign picture for her. And it unsettled her greatly. Instead of passing comment and possibly receiving Lydia's death glare, Thea smiled and nodded-hoping she didn't look too disconcerted. As Thea continued to gaze at her reflection, trying to come more to grips with it, Lydia was like a whirlwind packing all of her materials back into her bag. Before she handed Thea a small purse.

"Careful, it's Prada and you'll probably have to sell your kidney to replace it.." Lydia stated with a nonchalant flip of her hair. Thea felt her eyes widen slightly, she was almost terrified to touch the bag- as she was quite attached to her organs.

"Are you being serious? I can't use that! I like having my organs on the inside of my body, not the black market Lydia!" Thea exclaimed, still not reaching her shaking hands out to take it from Lydia's grasp. Lydia turned her head to face Thea, her green eyes bored and her face held an expression of mild irritation, as well as tutting.

"I'm kidding Thea, I'm not doing this to harvest your organs.. I'm being friendly. Besides, we'll be at my house. After the party- you can just leave it in my room. No harm, no foul." Lydia stated slowly as if talking to a toddler.

"Then why are you doing this? Being my friend? Giving me a make-over? All of it?" Thea asked, her voice conveying not only her concern but her confusion at the turn of events that had taken place recently. Lydia paused before saying anything, she knew telling the truth wouldn't help her façade as a clueless, emotionally stunted air head. So she chose to lie and save face in front of Thea, she didn't want the lonely girl before her to think Lydia pitied her.

"I want to be friends with Alison, and she wants to be friends with you. Apparently you two are a package deal or something… I'm not after you organs Thea.." Lydia stated in a matter of fact tone, that made Thea shrink back slightly. Lydia was only doing this to get to Alison; though it made sense, it still stung to find out. As Thea bit the inside of her cheek to maintain her aloof façade, she decided not to let Lydia's brush off bother her too much. It wasn't as if she was desperate to be Lydia's friend or anything, it was just the fact that Lydia was moulding her to appease her own ulterior motives. Nodding to further strengthen her resolve, Thea collected her phone, keys and purse and shoved them all into Lydia's Prada. Walked through the door with as much confidence as she could muster, before looking over her shoulder to the Martin girl in a faux show of coolness. Lydia in turn cocked a perfectly shaped eyebrow before following, on her way past Thea- she shoved a pair of shoes into her hands. The black combat boots looked comfortable and Thea was thankful she would be able to walk in them.

"Thought you'd prefer those to heels… Don't thank me, but I've improved your wardrobe with this outfit. We'll go shopping for more stuff soon, don't worry- you'll look good every day from now on, I'll make sure of that.." Lydia murmured, as a smirk took over her features. Thea bit her lip before sliding her feet into the new boots, her toes wriggling appreciatively. Once the boots were on her feet, she followed Lydia's lead and wandered out into the main room of the apartment. Her father was situated on the couch, baseball playing on the TV- but Thea could tell he wasn't watching it. No, Aaron Montgomery was watching for his daughter and Lydia to emerge from her room. And when they did, he felt his eyes widen slightly; Thea looked beautiful, she looked unsure of herself, but Lydia had done a good job. Though he was a little unsure of the shorts that were barely covering her bottom half, he was sure that would gain the attention of males at the party. And he wasn't sure quite how he felt about that. He knew that Thea would venture in to romance at some point, but he hoped it would be later rather than sooner- just to save him from even more worry.

"You two girls ready then? You look good.." Aaron stated a small smile tugging at his lips, Thea smiled back- feeling slightly better about how she looked now she had her father's approval. "Is this the part where I get the camera and take pictures or something.. like it's Prom?" Aaron asked, genuinely unsure of his next move. He watched as Thea's eyes widened, and realised this possibly wasn't the time.

"Uhm no Dad. Cause it's not Prom. It's just a party.." Thea mumbled back, her cheeks burning a glorious red.

"So.. this party, will there be alcohol? Chaperones? Stuff like that?" Aaron was beginning to feel the nerves set in- this would be Thea's first high-school party. It wasn't like the other parties she'd attended, with jello and ice-cream and party favours. Thea looked nervously to Lydia, it was a well-known fact; that Lydia Martin's parties had copious amounts of alcohol, and generally no chaperone, and things tended to get wild- not wild enough to warrant a visit from the cops, but wild enough that the party was talked about for weeks afterwards- until the next one rolled around.

"There will be alcohol, and my mom is home. But people are only allotted two beers or two wine coolers Dr Montgomery. Don't worry- Thea will be perfectly fine tonight, I'll make sure of it!" Lydia soothed in a voice that was so self-assured- even Thea believed her. Aaron was too sucked into what he wanted to hear form Lydia and nodded, before gesturing to the door and bidding them to have a good time tonight.

Once out the apartment, Lydia threaded her arm through Thea's and led her to the parking garage below. As they drew closer, Thea could feel the nerves building up within her; not only was she anxious about the party and what could possibly happen, but also about being in the parking garage this late- she was still antsy about the cavernous space, it was too dark and too big and made Thea increasingly worried about spending any time in the area after the events that had unravelled recently. Lydia drove to her house quickly, but stuck to the limit- and soon enough they were parking outside a large house with music that was pounding so loud, they could feel it in their chests as the bass permeated the air around them. Lydia flounced from the car and checked her appearance in the side mirror before beckoning Thea to follow her through the house and out to the back where the main party was. On their way; Thea caught sight of people making out obnoxiously against walls, groups of jocks and popular-ish girls taking shots, and a few people crowded around a box of pizza- which looked delicious and Thea could almost hear it calling out to her over the blasting music. Soon enough they were stationed outside, and Thea watched as people danced happily- some others were grinding against each other furiously in an attempt to rid themselves of sexual frustration or a way to entice their partners to engage in activities that would be better suited to a bedroom. Thea felt her eyes widen as she watched people around her writhe to the music and pour drinks down their throats, Lydia had soon abandoned her to attach her mouth to Jackson's in an unnecessary show of public affection- which made Thea's stomach roil. She watched on, not noticing as Alison and Scott sidled up next to her.

"Thea! I'm glad you're here, you look awesome!" Alison exclaimed happily, her cheeks a faint pink- possibly from drinking something already or maybe just being in Scott's presence was enough; Thea wasn't sure. Alison nudged Scott in the side, and he just nodded; trying hard not to focus on the creamy skin that was exposed by the extremely short short's Thea was wearing. Alison was right- Thea did look good, but he wasn't sure if he should voice his opinion or not. That and the fact that speaking was rather difficult; he could feel a lump in his throat that just wouldn't budge, his gums were aching and his head felt like it was being split open. It was just so loud here, and what Stiles had said about him being a werewolf and being a danger to those he cared about was playing heavily on his mind. In the ned, he just smiled slightly and nodded at Alison's comment, not wanting to let on to his thoughts or pain that was coursing through his body- or the mild attraction he was feeling towards Thea at that moment. Thea blushed under their scrutiny, but thanked them all the same- and watched almost wistfully as Alison dragged Scott off to dance on the make-shift dance floor that was where people were flooding to. As Thea let her eyes wander some more, she picked up a cup that was filled with some fruity concoction that was tasty and had Thea wanting more and draining the cup quickly before she reached for the next one.

And the next. And the next. Soon enough she was on her fourth drink and was beginning to feel slightly wobbly on her feet- even though she was wearing flat shoes, she felt like she was weaving about like a sky-scraper in the wind. As she continued to drink the fruity beverage, she felt a warm hand grip her elbow and steady her.

"If you wanna keep your hand, you should remove it from my person.." Thea stated, her words sounding slurred to her own ears. And overly-confident, which Thea couldn't understand- she had no idea where that had come from as she normally would never speak to a person like that. Ever.

"If you wanna remember tonight at all, you should quit drinking that stuff.." A deep voice replied from beside her, one she didn't recognise and causing her to turn her eyes to look at the man before her. And he was a man, of at least twenty-something. His eyes and hair were dark, which matched with the dark clothing he was wearing and the scruff situated on the bottom half of his face. Thea didn't know what it was, but this dark stranger made her feel uneasy. He was too familiar with her, though she had no recollection of him- and she was uncomfortable with it.

"You're a little old to be at a high-school party aren't you? I mean does anyone even know who you are?" Thea questioned, still full of unnecessary confidence as the words spilled from her mouth. The stranger just smirked tightly. Shrugging his shoulders before choosing to answer her.

"We have a mutual friend, he asked me to do a favour. I'm here to take you home Thea." He answered his voice deep and calm, in such a way that made Thea feel all the more on edge. He knew her name and wanted to 'take her home' was that a code for murdering her, Thea didn't know and she wasn't willing to find out. But her body wasn't cooperating with her mind, the creep had placed his hand on her lower back and was guiding her through the crowds. Thea felt her eyes dart around nervously, she was hoping someone would notice what was happening- she hoped for Stiles to come and distract this creep so she could get away, or Scott to confront this guy guiding her. But as she desperately searched for those two familiar faces, neither could be found.

"Thea! Hey Thea!" A voice called from behind her, and she was thankful for the interruption. The stranger stopped guiding Thea, but didn't drop his hand as they turned to face who'd called her name. Alison was stood before her, eyes narrowed slightly at the stranger still holding Thea.

"You haven't seen Scott have you? One minute we were dancing and then next he was literally running in the opposite direction to me.." Alison asked, eyes still trained to the stranger practically cradling Thea. Thea looked around once more in hopes of spotting the two boys in question, though her luck seemed to have taken a turn for the bad, as still neither boy could be found. Shaking her head and worrying her bottom lip with her teeth, Thea wondered if Alison would leave her to search some more. But as Alison stayed rooted in her place, stating the stranger down, Thea realised Alison was there to help.

"I'm a friend of Scott's, he wasn't feeling well. So he had Stiles drive him home, but he remembered that Thea here would need a ride. He asked me to take her home for him.." The stranger 'explained', Thea racked her brain trying to think of any older friend Scott may have- but she came up blank.

"That's really sweet of you, but Thea's staying at mine tonight. So she needs to go home with me. Thank though.." Alison stated, raising her hand and holding it out for Thea to grab-which she was about to do. Before the stranger opened his mouth again.

"I'm so sorry, where are my manners. I'm Derek by the way, but if you'd like, I could give you both a ride to your place- if that better suits.." Derek phrased it like a question and used a saccharine tone, that made Thea's skin crawl. Alison turned this new information over in her mind before nodding. Grabbing hold of Thea's had and dragging her away from 'Derek'. Thea was still wobbling on her feet, and Alison realised just how dangerous the situation was. She placed her arm around Thea's waist and guided her whilst supporting most of her apparently drunk friend's weight. Derek led them through the party and out on to the street, before he stopped in front of some fancy looking sports car- neither girl was impressed by this at the moment. Derek unlocked the vehicle and opened the door for them. Alison pulled the front seat forward and dashed in quickly- not trying to leave Thea to weave around on unsteady feet for too long- before turning back to find Derek trying to manoeuver the seat back into its original position. Alison put her hands up holding the seat forwards and beckoning for Thea to also climb in the back seat with her. Alison's eyes narrowed to almost slits as she watched Derek's jaw clench and set itself in a scowl like manner. Once Thea was settled in the seat next to her, Alison allowed the drunk girl to rest on her; Thea's head on her shoulder. Derek soon joined them- in his respective spot in the drivers' seat, and they were off speeding down the street that would be sure to gain a ticket if they were caught.

Alison muttered directions to her house, and soon enough Derek was pulling up beside a lavish looking and newly purchased house. Alison quickly checked she had her own bag and Thea's before crawling over the barely conscious girl and exiting the vehicle; she thought it would be easier to manoeuvre Thea from the outside rather than next to her. Once Alison had her feet on the curb she turned to help Thea from Derek's car; but the driver had already got Thea to climb over the seats in a surprisingly graceful manner- he was holding onto her wrist helping to support her as she wriggled from the car. Alison held out her arms and practically carried Thea up the driveway and to the door, she didn't bother to wave or thank Derek cause he was creepy in her opinion. As they walked over the threshold; Alison's parents came to see what the commotion was.

"Hey.. I think she had something to drink at the party, and its hitting her pretty bad.. I'm sorry, is it okay if she stays?" Alison practically begged, aiming her best puppy dog eyes at her dad, who simply nodded stoically before leaving and walking further into the house. Alison hid a grin from her mother as she shuffled Thea to the stairs.

"Are you sure she's okay? Wouldn't it be better for her to go home, have her own parents taking care of her.." Her mother stated, it wasn't a question. Almost a demand in actuality, which made Alison practically shake with irritation.

"Her dad's on a night shift at the hospital.." Alison muttered still trying to drag Thea up the stairs, they were now almost at the top and Alison was feeling rather accomplished. Finally Alison managed to get Thea to her room, sighing as she looked over her newly drink friend before she realised; her jacket was missing, and the expensive looking bracelet was missing from Thea's wrist.

As Alison was just realising this, Derek was smirking and looking to the passenger's seat where an object from both girls now lay. His plan had almost been ruined- he just needed something to get to Scott. And Thea seemed like a good idea, he'd watched Scott since he'd found him. He watched him closely and took note of the new wolf's friendship with the drunken girl. Luckily he now had an item from both of the important girl's in the new wolf's life- this would get Scott's attention surely. And Derek couldn't help but smile slightly at the thought.

Alison watched as Thea seemed to sober up quickly, almost as if ten minutes ago she hadn't been drunk at all. Which made her smile, Thea may be a lightweight- but she sure was resilient. Suddenly, there was the sound of screeching tires and an engine being throttled before coming to an abrupt halt from outside. Alison looked to Thea- who in turn was staring right back at her; her head cocked to one side in confusion. Alison walked to the bedroom door and poked her head around it to see her mother opening the door to a very flustered looking Stiles. Thea was leaning her head just above Alison's, and supposed it would look comical to anyone passing to see, but ignored that idea and continued to follow Alison through her door and onto the landing. The girls watched on as Stiles stood breathing heavily and waved his hands around ridiculously. Alison quirked and eyebrow to Thea, and the Montgomery girl wondered if it was a popular girl thing- being able to move eyebrows individually, she'd have to ask Alison to teach her- cause it looked hella cool.

"Alison, it's for you.." Alison's mum called up the stairs before turning and wandering back into another part of the house and leaving Alison to deal with this. The two girls ventured down the steps and Alison almost laughed at how easy it was now she wasn't supporting another body. The stood in front of the door and waited for Stiles to finally catch his breath and begin explaining his reasons for being here.

"Oh thank god! I went back to the party for you guys and someone said you left with an older guy- and that got me worried so here I am to check on you and see that you're both perfectly safe. Which is awesome, and Scott will feel so much better to know that too! But he'll still feel pretty awful, cause he's sick. Like real sick, like hugging the toilet sick.. like really, really, really.." Stiles rambled, still breathing heavily as his mouth worked overtime.

"Stiles, we get it. Scott's sick. And you were both freaked when we weren't at Lydia's.. chill." Thea stated cutting off the jittery boy before her, his eyes were wide as his mouth stopped letting words spill from his lips. Alison just stared, her eyebrows stitched together as she wondered how Thea could understand anything he just said.

"Will Scott be okay? And why did he just abandon me?" Alison began to question him, as Thea turned and ventured back up the stairs to Alison's room. Thea could faintly hear a murmured conversation still happening behind her, as she collected her things together. Assuming she'd be going home rather than staying at Alison's, she wasn't looking forwards to going home to an empty apartment though. As Thea continued to look around the room, she was startled by the resounding thump that sounded outside Alison's window- Thea froze in place. Not daring to move a muscle for fear of being heard or something, which was ridiculous, it could have just been the house making noises. Thea tried to desperately make herself believe that, as she forced her legs to move her quietly over to the window. Bracing herself for the worst, Thea held her breath as she quickly jumped in front of the wide glass pane. She tried to arrange her face into a threatening grimace, but felt she looked more like a startled kitten than scary as she wished, looking out both sides of the window her thumping heart slowed its pace as she found nothing sinister to have made the sound. It was just her mind messing with her again. Thea rolled her eyes, bringing her hands to brush hair from her face and rest on her forehead as she chuckled quietly to herself at her own fraught nerves.

"Thea?" a voice called from the door way, unexpected and caused Thea to let out a short scream. Alison stood in the doorway, with a bewildered expression on her face as she looked to Thea who now had her one of her hands resting on her chest and the other resting on her stomach. "You okay?" Alison asked quietly, so as not to scare her friend again. Thea chuckled loudly, before letting her chuckle turn into a full on laugh which echoed around the room. Alison soon joined in the raucous laughter, and they both wandered to the bed and fell on it as their laughter quieted slowly. Sighing the two girls looked at each-others, smiling and calming down.

"Yeah, I'm just fine.. I thought I heard something.. But it was nothing!" Thea whispered still smiling at her silliness, Alison too smiled before she stood up from the bed abruptly. She turned to the tall set of drawers that was situated under a large mirror, pulling one open and beginning to riffle through it. Her hands emerged holding some brightly coloured fabric, before she tossed some of it to Thea- it landing on her head.

"You can wear those.." Alison stated and she turned and left the room, leaving Thea to hold the fabric in her hands. It turned out to be a tank top and a pair of checked pyjama pants; Thea checked her surroundings, making sure she was alone before shedding her clothes and pulling on the borrowed pyjamas. Alison soon came back into the room similarly dressed. The taller brunette began emptying her bed of the multiple pillows and drew back the covers, before walking to the window; she opened it a crack and then drew the curtains across the pane. All the while Thea stood to the side of the room, her fingers picking at imaginary loose threads

"I hope you don't mind sharing?" Alison stated pointing to the large double bed, Thea shook her head. As Alison slipped beneath the sheets, and beckoned for Thea to also. "Come one Thea, this is our first sleep over! It's exciting, not torture..!" Alison giggled, Thea grinned and jumped on the bed. Causing Alison to bounce and laugh too, both girls settled under the covers and faced the ceiling above them.

"Alison?" Thea whispered, hoping her companion wasn't asleep just yet.

"Hmmm?" Alison hummed in response, causing Thea to smile- she sounded tired and half-asleep already.

"Thanks.." Thea whispered again, turning her head to look at the girl beside her, in the dark she could just about make out the outline of Alison.

"Thea… It's okay." Alison whispered back, Thea felt a smile tug at her lips.

"Do you think you'll forgive Scott?" Thea asked, beginning to worry about her other friend. Alison was silent for a few moments, which led Thea to believe she was in fact asleep.

"I don't know.. I will I think, but not straight away.. I'm gonna make him work for it I think.." Alison finally answered, her whisper sounded thoughtful and a little bit teasing- which again made Thea smile to herself.

"Good." Thea stated before laughing quietly, Alison let a giggle slip from her lips too- before both girls quieted and drifted off to sleep.

Scott sat outside the window and listened to the two girls giggling and having fun, talking and chatting and soon their slowed breathing as they fell asleep. He held Thea's bracelet in his hand loosely; he was scared if he held it to tightly it would break or something, he still wasn't used to the new strength he had. When he found Alison's jacket and Thea's bracelet hanging from a tree branch in the woods, he freaked and shifted into a full wolf. Derek had gotten to the girls and he was angry, he needed to know they were okay. And that's how he found himself perched on the roof of Alison's house- listening and checking they were truly okay. His heart rate slowed when he found them both un-injured and safe. And allowed himself to slide from the roof before venturing home; he'd return the girls' missing items to them soon enough, but for now he'd let them sleep.

Thea felt a light shining on her face which was unwelcome and made her want to groan out loud or even scream, she wasn't sure. Sighing she rubbed her eyes and let them flutter open slowly. Gasping as she wasn't in a room she recognised, it wasn't the pale walls of her room that faced back at her. And with that realisation, the panic set in. Until she heard a shrill ringing from the opposite side of her, turning her head she found Alison sleeping beside her, and the memories from the night before came rushing back to her, breathing a sigh of relief. Thea gently checked her own phone and found the noise must be coming from Alison's, she gently nudged the girl beside her- waking her from slumber. Alison rubbed her hands over her face tiredly, before looking to the clock beside her which read a time late in the afternoon. Grimacing at the noise still blaring from her nightstand. She turned and smiled at Thea before picking up the screeching object and answering it.

"Hello?" Her voice sounded groggy and sleep filled even to her, she waited for the response and froze her eyes widening as Scott answered. She pulled the phone from her ear and turned her shocked face to look at Thea, mouthing who it was. Thea's expression mirrored her own and she made some gesture, she took to mean to put the call on speaker mode.

"Alison? You still there?" Scott asked worriedly, the two girls held their hands over their mouths in hopes to smother the giggles wishing to bubble from them. Alison contained herself quickly and was able to answer soon enough.

"Yeah, yeah I'm still here… Scott, why are you calling me?" Alison tried to make her voice sound angry, but both girls knew it wasn't very believable.

"I-i-I'm calling to apologise. I'm sorry! I just felt really.. sick, and I needed to leave. I'm so, so, sorry for just leaving you there!" Scott answered quickly, his sincerity was easy to pick up on and both girls smiled gently.

"I was worried. I mean you literally ran away from me. I thought I'd done something.. And Thea was being taken hostage by your friend- I was scared." Alison stated, trying not to sound as if she was scolding a naughty child. Thea bit her lip and waited for Scott's response.

"I know. And I'm sorry. I really, really am." Scott muttered, like a child being scolded, which caused Thea to restrain giggles again. "Can you forgive me? I promise to make it up to you, but please. Can I have a second chance, please?" Scott begged on the other end. Alison looked up at Thea, she was unsure. Should she give him another chance so soon? Didn't she say just last night that she was going to make him work for her forgiveness a little. Alison worried her lip as she watched Thea nod and smile gently. Breathing deeply once before letting it go with a sigh.

"Okay. One more chance. Don't blow it McCall.." Alison said confidently, Thea grinned at her before gesturing to cut the call then. Alison grinned before pressing the end call icon and effectively hanging up on Scott. The room was silent for a few moments, before the two girls caught each-others eye, and soon they were chortling loudly once more. Laughter tears soon sprang down each girls face as their mirth continued.

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Guest: I do plan to continue this story, I want to write all of the seasons. I already have and idea of how Thea will interact with Liam and Mason, but they are way off, I also have an idea of how Thea will act around the darker characters too! I'm so excited for this story, it's unreal. Yes, her mother. Hopefully it's explained a little here; obviously Thea doesn't know the whole truth about what happened to Jana, and no one really understands why she did it at this point- but Thea and the gang will later on. At the minute Thea believes she's going crazy like her dear old mum. Ahh the voice will play a larger role in this story and the future seasons also; as of now Thea thinks it's just some nightmarish side effect of losing her mind like Jana did. I'm so, so glad you enjoyed the first chapter, and you gave me the kick I needed to polish this chapter off and publish it. Thank you for taking time to read and send me that review! Charlie :) x

And on that note, I'f like to say a huge thank you to anyone who's read this and added it to their favourite/follow list! You're amazing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter also, and will enjoy the chapters in future!

Charlie :) x


	3. Chapter 3

**_DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TEEN WOLF, OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH TEEN WOLF. THIS IS A STORY WRITTEN OF MY OWN CREATION AND FOR MY OWN USES_**

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Ch 3.

Thea decided the only way to relax herself in her own home for the first time that weekend, would be to clean. Having spent Saturday and Sunday at the Argent's home; they'd let her stay the whole weekend, once Alison further explained Thea's dad's working schedule. The decided to clean the living room and then make her way through the apartment- cleaning as she went. Thea continued to clean her room until she felt relaxed enough to actually sleep, though it didn't come quite as easily as she had hoped. Her mind was plagued with visions of people she cared about with black eyes; Scott, Stiles, her father and Alison. It was beginning to give her a headache, one that just wouldn't budge and it was driving her steadily more and more insane. Sighing she lifted her hands and rubbed at her tired and achy face, she decided maybe sleep wasn't what she needed after all; making her way into the lounge, she flipped on the TV before getting herself comfy on the couch covering herself with a soft blanket- and allowed herself to zone out and be sucked into whatever mindless drivel was being played from the TV in front of her. Before long, her eyes drooped shut and she was asleep. It was a peaceful and dreamless, and when she awoke to someone gently shaking her shoulder she smiled at how refreshed and at ease she felt. A good sleep was all she needed apparently- she faintly heard a door shut somewhere in the apartment. Paying no mind, Thea stretched her arms high above her head and sighed contentedly at the resounding crack her back made as she moved herself around; more pops and cracking noises punctuating the silence. It was then, still whilst bleary eyed, she realised just how silent it was. Uncharacteristically silent. Almost deadly silent. Slowly allowing her eyes to investigate why her dad wasn't at the kitchen island making breakfast for them both; she found the space completely vacant.

She stood up from her sitting position on the couch, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders and taking slow and slightly wobbly steps through the apartment in search of her missing father. Checking the bathroom, his room and the study; all of them looked untouched, it was then she felt a knot settle within her stomach. Her bottom lip was taken between her teeth as she ventured to the one room she hadn't checked. The door was ajar; allowing the faint light to spill from the inside. Thea cautiously stepped towards it, raising one hand to gently push the door open wider- the other stayed holding onto the edge of the blanket to ensure it stayed wrapped around her shoulders like a cape. Once the door was wide open, it seemed like everything was in order. Her bed covers were still haphazardly thrown to the side ad messy, the clothes she'd hung in the closet were neat- but swinging slightly as if they'd been disturbed by something. Thea took gentle steps over to the closet; pushing through the clothes and trying to find the reason for their soft movements. Peering into the back of the small closet she found no reason for the swaying. She frowned as she stepped back and letting her eyes do another sweep of the room. Her eyes were drawn to the messy bed in the centre of her room. Following the movement of her eyes she took the few steps forward to stand at the foot of the double bed. Her eyes finding a dark spot on the darker sheets, her eyes flickered towards the pillows, and as they finally ceased; she spotted something that sent shivers down her spine. Shivers that wracked her body violently, her shaking hand dropped its hold on the blanket- it falling in a lump around her feet. There resting innocently on her pillow. Was an artefact from her past; one she used to cherish, but now the mere sight of it sent bile rising up her throat and to her mouth.

One trembling hand reached out and plucked the object from her pillow. It was exactly how she remembered it, but it looked completely foreign at the same time. The used to be soft purple fur, mottled by splotches of dried crusty brown- and some a vibrant red, that were still sticky and wet. Thea tried to gulp back the vomit and scream that were desperate to escape her mouth. Her lips were pressed into a thin line. Her eyes were wide and glistening with the unshed tears which were pricking at the corners of her eyes. A door opened and slammed shut again- but Thea didn't move, she was frozen almost stuck in the same position. A hand touching her shoulder shook her from the zombie-like state she was in, and she fell to the floor; arms wrapped themselves around her to slow her drop. Hair was brushed from her face, and her chin was gripped making her face whoever it was holding her. Her father's face appeared over her shoulder.

"Thea? Baby? What's wrong? What is th..?" Aaron voiced, it was gentle and broke off to a croak at the end of his question. His eyes finally landing on the object clasped in Thea's quaking hands. The silence was only punctured by the strangled sob that left her lips. Aaron's eyes were wide and he shook his head. That wasn't possible. That thing was gone, he was sure it was destroyed or in police evidence somewhere- at least that's what he assumed after all this time, in all honesty- he had no idea what had happened to it. That damned purple unicorn- he hated it with every fibre of his being at that moment in time. He rubbed his hands comfortingly up and down Thea's arms in an attempt to soothe the wrecked girl in his arms. After a few minutes, it seemed Thea had calmed down enough- he gently grasped the once beloved toy from her hands and tossed it away from them, as they stayed huddled on the floor in her room.

"Sweetie, where did you get that?" Aaron asked in a voice steadier than he was feeling at that moment. He watched as Thea raised one arm and pointed to the bed, his eyes following the trajectory. He stood, and stepped closer to investigate. There on the pillow and dark sheets, was a splotch of darkness. It was beginning to look like rust was forming on the cotton, and Aaron knew. Dear old Humphrey had been situated there. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before turning and looking to his visibly shaken daughter still flopped on the floor.

"I found it when I woke up. It was just sitting there, waiting..." as the whisper he heard from her shaking lips. Thea bit down on her bottom quivering lip in an attempt to stop the tears and sobs escaping her. She looked towards her father. His face was pale and his eyes looked haunted, Thea thought her face must have looked similar. Soon enough, Aaron had joined her on the floor again- his arms wrapped around her comforting and anchoring her to reality. When her mind just desperately wished to retreat into itself. She wished she could block it out, but with her dad holding her in the present she knew it wasn't possible. One arm left her and fished around in his trouser pockets; he pulled out his phone and dialled a familiar number, Thea could hear the echoing voice on the other end of the line and felt her heart rate calm down to a slower thump. Aaron soon finished his phone call and settled with his arms around her once more, Thea just sat- soaking in the comfort her father was giving her and willing her herself to push through the darkness that was encasing her mind. Eventually, after what felt like hours- Thea finally pulled away from her dad and sat up on her own. She lifted her hand and wiped away any stray tears that were trailing down her cheeks and smiled a watery grin to her dad. Letting him know she was alright- or at least she was for now. She shakily stood from the ground and let her body control itself, moving around the room in a daze, almost in auto-pilot- she floated around the room. Eventually making her way to the bathroom; cleansing her body was the first step, washing it in a soothing lavender smelling soap, next washer hair- wash away the stress with the coconut scented shampoo, finally let the water soothe away any worries and watch them float away down the drain. Thea could hear Dr Strauss' words echoing in her mind as she followed each direction and movement.

When she stepped out of the shower, letting water drip down her body before she covered herself in a giant fluffy turquoise towel. Letting it warm up her steadily cooling body. She walked from the steamy bathroom and back into her chilly bedroom. The sheets had been removed from her bed and from the room entirely, the offending item that had begun this entire episode was missing thankfully. Thea let herself plot down onto the bare bed; letting her fingers tap gently against her towel covered thigh. Tap, tap-tap, tap-tap-tap, tap, tap-tap, tap-tap-tap. The rhythm familiar and calming, breathing deeply and steadying her resolve. She was finally able to dry off and begin to dress herself, pulling on some undies and a bra she heard her phone vibrate angrily on her bed side table. Moving towards it, she looked at the notifications on her screen; two texts from Alison, one from Stiles another from Scott, three from Lydia and finally a long list of at least ten from Erica. Thea read through them all; Alison was asking if she was okay and to meet up for school, Scott and Stiles were the usual 'Did we have homework for..' messages, Erica's were all random and the final one from her was requesting to hangout soon, Lydia's were all demanding her to dig out a dress she'd spotted the other day and to pair it with a denim jacket and her new pair of boots. Thea guiltily didn't respond to any of the messages. Choosing instead to do just as Lydia had said; searching through the clothes in her closet and dig out the only dress she had within the confines of it. A floral dress, that Thea supposed was alright- she pulled it on before blow drying her hair and letting it settle on her shoulders in brunette waves. Completely forgoing make-up as she preferred to keep her eye sight.

Before pulling on the boots, her jacket and grabbing up her bag. She made her way into the living room and saw her dad on the sofa; travel mug filled with coffee in his hand, on the coffee table in front of him was her mug filled with hot chocolate ready and waiting for their departure. Thea cleared her throat softly, letting him know she was there and ready. He turned his head face the girl in the room, giving a swift nod; he collected both mugs, his keys and then they were off. Venturing down to the garage and his bulking black SUV. The car ride was practically silent, the only noises were their breathing and the turner signal ticking every time they made a turn. They parked in his designated spot and made their way through the building, the path was burned into Thea's mind by using it so often. They stood outside the small office; the door blank except for the name printed neatly on it in black, block lettering 'Dr. Strauss'. It was promptly opened to reveal the woman behind it; she was in her mid-thirties at least, big brown eyes, short cropped black hair in a pixie style cut, she had a light mocha skin tone, a straight nose and thin lips. All in all, Dr Strauss- was an attractive woman, to anyone with eyes. But those who knew her or had sessions with her; knew she had an air of mystery surrounding her, Thea supposed it helped people pour out their souls to her in a regular basis. Following Strauss into the office and waving to her dad over her shoulder as the door closed behind them. Strauss smiled gently at her and gestured to the comfy seat opposite her. Thea cautiously stepped towards the chair and snuggled down in it, pulling the cushion on to her lap and hugging it close to her torso. She waited for Strauss to sit and begin the session as usual.

"I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting a call from your father... You're usually so good at calling yourself, it was a surprise to say the least.." Strauss started, before leaving her statement open for Thea to add on to it. Thea just stared at the kind woman before her who was there to 'shrink' her head, she was deciding how to start- the comment was made to bait her into talking, a trick Strauss utilised on a regular basis. Simply because Thea wasn't very forthcoming to begin with.

"Yeah, I uhh.. I was kind of went full zombie on him.." Was all Thea muttered still staring at the good Doctor- who held eye contact with her. Nodding her head and jotting something down on her paper in her pad- Thea always wondered what Strauss would write down, even from a simple statement; she found it possible to transcribe a damned essay.

"Why not start from the beginning, I'm unclear on what happened this morning." Strauss replied, her pen halting it's movements as she waited for Thea to begin her story. Thea wondered how to start without sounding freaked and without withholding- which apparently she did all too often.

"Well. Dad was working here late and I couldn't sleep, so I went to watch TV. I guess I must have crashed.." Thea stated clearly, before pausing to take a breath and trying to decide how to proceed. "I woke up cause someone touched my shoulder.. I guessed it was dad but I couldn't find him anywhere.. I-i-I went to my room and something was wrong. I c-could feel it, but I wasn't sure what.. It was on my bed. Someone had put it there.. Someone was in the apartment with me!" Thea exclaimed, her memories resurfacing quickly. She felt her heart rate pick up and stutter within her chest, her breathing came to quickly- coming in and out in pants though she'd done nothing to permit such a loss of breath. Her eye sight was starting to go blurry. Suddenly, Thea felt her clammy hand being clasped soft, warm ones. Tears were clouding her vision, so Thea assumed Strauss had griped her hand.

"Breathe deep Thea. Calm. Match me.." Strauss murmured into Thea's ear and placed their hands on her chest, allowing Thea to feel the gentle rise and fall of it. Thea concentrated on trying to match her breathing to Strauss', it took all of Thea's concentration and a few tries. But she was able to breathe regularly soon enough. Nodding her head when she was feeling calmer, she took her hand and wiped at her sweaty and tear stained face. Before pulling herself back up into the chair she hadn't realised she had fallen from; she watched as Strauss did the same, collecting her materials as she went. "Now, you need to think Thea. Are you sure someone was there with you?" Strauss asked calmly- not as if she didn't believe Thea, but because she needed a clear picture of the events from earlier. Thea nodded her head solemnly. Strauss noted it down and made a mental note to alert Aaron to check with the building security. "What happened next?" Strauss asked delicately, trying to keep the girl calm and present.

"It was on my bed. That stupid unicorn toy. It was all gross and covered with old blood and what looked like new.." Thea whispered, trying to swallow down the bile that was rising in her throat. She looked to her hands and expected to see blood still staining them. Shaking her head to remove the Lady MacBeth-like thoughts from her frazzled brain. Rubbing her hands together to rid them of the foul feeling and focusing back on Strauss. She was scribbling away wildly in her notebook, her hand moving so quickly it almost looked like a blur on the page. "And I just freaked..and Dad was a mess too. So yeah, that's what happened..." Thea stated in a concluding manner. The Doc, just sat and nodded- but she had a quirked eyebrow. Thea realised then that Strauss knew she was holding back. Sighing in a resigned manner before rubbing a hand across her face.

"What are you not saying Thea? Hmm? You have a tell when you're lying.." Strauss stated smiling at Thea. She looked up to the brunette on the opposite chair and waited for Thea to continue.

"It's just that sometimes- I-i-I'm a zombie. Like I feel things that make no sense.. Like if I was scared.. I wouldn't really be scared.. I-i-I'd be calm and I don't know really.." Thea rambled trying to make sense of her thoughts and words. Strauss nodded, and noted it down again- she was frowning slightly though, which worried Thea slightly. "A-and sometimes, it's like I'm not even in control of myself.." Thea whispered, thinking back to when her body betrayed her and led her on a wild goose-chase jogging in the preserve. She bit her lip as she thought of the whispery, comforting voice that would sound in her ears during such times. At this, Strauss stopped writing all together. She dropped her pen and it rolled off her pad and onto the floor. Thea felt her eyes widen and her mouth drop open slightly, never before had Strauss dropped her pen! It seemed foolish, but Thea was unnerved by such a humanly and normal thing.

"Are you still taking the SSRI's?"Strauss asked, although she already knew the answer. Thea nodded, but the guilty look on her face said otherwise. "Oh, Thea! You need to take them until the review. You understand that don't you? And you said yourself they helped.. or are they not effective anymore? Is there a reason you stopped taking them I should know about?" Strauss asked, there was a look of disappointment and what looked like sadness in her eyes, that made Thea feel even worse about not taking them. The only reason was she forgot and she needed to refill her prescription.. but it wasn't really an excuse. "You need to refill and continue to take them, please Thea." Strauss said before she began filling out the prescription pad she had beside her. Thea nodded, and bit her lip anxiously- agreeing with what the Dr said. "But you're withholding? Out with it Thea.." Strauss coaxed.

"I uhh, I guess I've been imagining things... or seeing things.. I dunno. I keep seeing _her.._" Thea whispered, sadly. Worrying at her lip as she omitted the events she'd experienced recently. Strauss' face was blank, Thea couldn't read any form of expression on her pretty face. She just continued to write information down on her pad.

"And the voice?" Strauss asked, staring intently at Thea. Who frowned, not knowing how to respond. She knew what Strauss was referring to, but should she talk about the disembodied voice she'd hear echoing in her ear frequently- or would that just worry the good Dr more... Thea was baffled by what to say. "The voice you first mentioned when you were eleven. It whispered to you when you were distressed.." Strauss continued, trying to prod Thea into talking. Thea closed her eyes stubbornly. "It would whisper; _"It's okay Thea, I've got you now.."_ No?" Strauss asked, although she knew the answer. But she pushed on- she needed to force Thea into responding. "Is it a familiar voice Thea? Does it remind you of someone? Or is it someone's voice? Do you recognise it Thea?" Strauss pushed, her voice strong and rubbing Thea the wrong way. She was getting closer to snapping, moment by moment. "It comforts you, doesn't it Thea? You are comforted by it and have come to rely on it?" Strauss pushed, her voice getting louder and harsher the more she went on. Thea cracked.

"Yes! It comforts me! No it's not someone's voice- but yes I recognise it now.. It's been with me for years!" Thea yelled back, her face morphing into an anger filled expression. Strauss leaned back from her previous looming position, an almost pleased smile quirking at her lips. Thea groaned as she rubbed her hands over her face before letting them rest on her forehead.

"I'm going to refer you for a physical, but from what you've shared today. I believe the best course of action; would be to resume you previous medication and take them as prescribed- the dosage will be upped. As well as being prescribed something else. Something to help with these.. delusions you seem to be experiencing. You need to take them as prescribed.." The Dr informed her, noting it down on her pad. "I'll also be notifying your dad of the changes, but the rest is confidential as always. If you need me, please don't refrain from calling me Thea. It's what I'm here for.." She said holding onto Thea's hand softly. "Now, that's all we have time for today I'm afraid.. I have another appointment soon.." Strauss apologised carefully. Before she stood from her seat, and stashed Thea's specific note-pad in the file labelled with her name in the filing cabinet to the left of the room. Thea remained seated and picked at her nails in her lap quietly, as she collected her thoughts. Soon Dr Strauss was resting her hands on Thea's shoulder and leading her to the door. As Thea was gently pushed form the doorway and her dad was greeted and let in; he gently squeezed her shoulder. She loitered by the door for a while longer; hearing only snippets of raised voices towards the end of the conversation. The parts piqued her interest substantially;

_"You need to tell her Aaron! For God's sake! The poor child deserves to know; it's her health and safety that's on the line here.." Strauss yelled._

_"You think I don't know that? I know exactly what's at stake here Veronica, but how do I know telling her won't send her over the edge huh?" Her father shouted back, equally as angry as 'Veronica' appeared to be. _

_"She already is over the edge Aaron. She's already taking SSRI's..and today I've referred her for a physical, but it's obvious the poor kid needs anti-psychotics now too! Tell her before she finds out for herself!" Veronica, who Thea assumed was Dr Strauss, practically screamed to her father. _

Thea regretted having her ear so close to the door, as her ears were now ringing from the screaming match that had just occurred. As if sensing her father would be leaving the room soon, Thea scuttled off to the seats by the back wall shoving her ear buds into her ears and pretending she hadn't just been dropping eaves. Her dad opened the door, and left gesturing for Thea to follow him- he left without a goodbye to the good Dr. Thea waved cautiously before following after her dad. He stomped down the halls until they reached the front entrance.

"You don't have to go to school if you don't want.. But you'll be stuck here all day otherwise, I'm due in surgery soon. Sorry baby.." Aaron muttered as he tugged Thea into his chest and hugged her tightly, dropping a kiss to her forehead as he pulled away. Thea just smiled faintly, nodding her understanding. She watched as her dad stormed off down another corridor. Thea looked at the paper that was stuffed into her jacket pocket; its contents the prescription she needed to fill, nodding resolutely she moved in the direction of the onsite chemist. Filling the prescription was easy enough and quickly completed, Thea looked solemnly at the rattling orange bottle gripped in her hand. She needed to take a dose now, so she set off in hunt of a vending machine where she could stock up on some junk food before popping a pill. She perused the viable options to feast on and settled for a bag of cheetos, a can of diet coke- it was healthy, and a snickers. Settling on a bench to begin her impromptu picnic; she began to shovel hand-full's of the cheetos in her mouth, washing them down with swigs of coke every now and then. Deciding now was as good a time as any to take the pill, Thea placed it gently on her tongue and took a swig of coke to get rid of it. The bag of cheetos were mostly gone when she was stumbled upon by non-other than Stiles and Scott. They stared at her; orange stained mouth and fingers, coke in one hand and wide eyes. Thea wasn't entirely sure how she ended up being dragged from her comfy picnic spot; her coke and cheetos almost spilling on the floor as Stiles got a little too over-zealous with the dragging aspect.

Soon enough Thea was being shoved into the backseat of the Jeep as Scott and Stiles took up residence in front seat respectively. Tea had no idea where they were going until they pulled up in front of the preserve once more. Thea followed behind the two boys licking cheeto dust from her fingers as they traipsed through the murky green surroundings. Before Thea could even comprehend she was being handed a torch and being told to stay look out. Frowning in confusion Thea just complied, holding the torch steadily above them as they began to dig? Thea felt her furrowed brow deepen until the hole was deep enough to reveal a brown sack and rope. Scott reached forward and pulled the brown sack- it revealed the head of a wolf lying in the hole. Thea squeaked in surprise, Scott gasped and Stiles let out a girlish squawk. The other two looking at the Stilinski boy- who merely shrugged in response before tugging at the rope. It was then that Thea noticed the rope was attached to a purple flower that was situated directly in front of where she stood. She was so enraptured by the flower, taking in its breath-taking beauty; she hadn't noticed that the wolf turned into a human woman, nor did she notice that Scott and Stiles had called the police, she only noticed things had changed when she was being gently pulled in the direction of the Jeep, by a soft hand on her wrist. When they were all within the vehicle, Stiles pulled off abruptly. Thea was again sat comfortably in the back; her small stature was accommodated by the small amount of space rather well, she watched as the green trees and bushes flew past as they raced down the roads. The car relatively quiet, only the faint music playing in the background.

And suddenly Scott was freaking out, having what seemed to be a panic attack or an asthma attack. He looked pained and Stiles had to pull over to the hard shoulder of the road. Thea loomed forward and watched as Scott's breathing became more and more laboured, Stiles made a gesture for her to hand him his back pack so she did. Her eyebrows stitching together as he pulled the zipper back to reveal a beautiful purple flower. It drew Thea's attention completely from her friends in the front. Everything became almost muted the more she stared at the bloom that had stolen her attention; she didn't notice that Scott and Stiles were having a minor argument in the front seat, a mere couple of feet away, she didn't notice as Scott lurched himself from the cab of the vehicle furiously and looking dangerously wolf-like. All she could focus on was the flower held within Stiles' bag, before she could really comprehend her actions- she was reaching forward to touch it.

And just as her pointer fingertip made contact with the mauve petal- she felt it singeing her finger. The burn was swift and blisteringly hot, and she swore her finger sizzled and smoke rose from where it was still in contact. Pulling her hand back abruptly she watched as Stiles flung the bag; flower and all out of the car and into the road. Thea pulled her hand back and inspected her finger tip. She was right, it had sizzled and smoked; the pad of the finger was almost black and so painful it brought tears to her eyes. And finally Thea could recognise that she was feeling her own emotions and she was finally fully in control. Though it appeared to break her zombie-like tendencies she needed to harm herself- to gain control over her own being she needed to inflict pain. With that realisation she felt a deep worry settle in the pit of her stomach. She piled into the front seat in a manner so ungraceful- even Stiles; jittery, adderall run Stiles scoffed. They drove around the town for half an hour, searching for their missing friend. Though when they came up with nothing, Thea was able to encourage Stiles to take them to the school and the lacrosse game. There they found Scott, and he was completely normal. Thea wished both boys a heartfelt "Good Luck" and sent them on their way to the changing rooms. Before she found a space in the bleachers and let herself get lost in her own mind; she wondered why Scott had freaked out so suddenly and thoroughly, she wondered what the hell had happened with the purple flower and why her previously blackened finger was now smooth and back to its original colouring, and she also wondered why her emotions and body were betraying her and following their own will all of a sudden. It wasn't the first time and something told Thea it certainly wouldn't be the last.

Her attention was soon stolen by the much anticipated lacrosse game that was transpiring before her. She watched as the ball was passed from team-mate to team-mate. Goals were scored. But not by Scott, in actual fact- he hadn't had possession for the whole time he was on the field. Thea watched worriedly as the game progressed with the ball still not being passed to Scott, and she felt the irritation bubbling under her skin. More minutes passed, and Thea felt herself getting more and more irate. _The ball needs to go to Scott!_ She thought angrily, fisting her hands and then making wild gestures as if hoping the team would take note and comply with her wishes. As she thrust her hand towards the waiting boy with a number 11 on the back of his jersey, the ball suddenly flew towards him. Luckily the boy was prepared; he caught the ball with his netted stick and propelled himself down the field, it was only a few seconds till the end of the game and Thea was begging to a higher power that he would make that goal. And to Thea's surprise- he did. She watched in abject fascination as the ball soared through the air and landed solidly within the net of the goal. It took a nano-second for the crowds to understand what had happened, and soon the field was full of raucous cheers. The cacophony was loud and excited, and people were running from the stands and congratulating the team-members happily. Thea quickly made her way down the bleachers and followed the masses, she tried to spot where Scott was. Her eyes quickly scanning the field for the number eleven jersey. She watched all of the team parade around proudly; hooting and hollering loudly. Thea moved with the crowd, not even bothering to try and move against the general direction as she simply wouldn't make it. Soon enough she had been shoved abruptly from the crowd; and her inquisitive eyes spotted a maroon coloured jersey emblazoned with the name McCall and the number eleven quickly rushing from the field and to the changing rooms. Thea rushed after him quickly, and soon enough she had caught up to him. She loitered outside the door and listened intently at the door- before gently pushing her way through it.

She slowly stepped through the door-way and stopped short as she spotted Stiles leaning against some lockers. Thea crept up behind him and gently pressed her hand to his shoulder blade. Stiles jerked in surprise and turned to glare at her over his shoulder. Smiling in what Thea hoped was an innocent manner, before she leaned closer and waited for him to face away from her again- once his face was twisted away, she followed his actions and poked her head over his shoulder. It was bit of a stretch as Stiles was so much taller than her, Thea had to stand on her tip toes to be able to see. As she peeked over him; her eyes spotted what was holding his attention. There only a few feet in front of them, were Scott and Alison in the shower; the water raining down on them and their lips were connected in a passionate kiss. As they watched, Thea felt as if some invisible force had sucker-punched her in the stomach. The sensation forcing her to let out a huff of air, and her stomach felt as if it was sinking the more she watched the twosome kiss. And soon enough, they stopped and smiled at each other, but not quickly enough to stop Thea feel like her eyes were changing hues to that of a green. Narrowing her eyes, she watched as Alison pulled back from the embrace and sauntered from the room with a smile on her face and a blush on her cheeks. Thea forced her features to not resemble a jealous ex-girlfriend as Alison spotted her and Stiles looming around the lockers. Once the pair had been clocked; her delicate blush deepened in colour and her eyes went wide. Her rosy lips were open as if prepared to speak, but no words could be found. She awkwardly cleared her throat and nodded to the Stilinski boy- before nudging her arm out to Thea for her to take. The smiled at the obviously embarrassed Argent girl and linked their arms together. The two brunettes left the stinky boys locker room and ventured out into the hallway. Stiles stuck behind and waited for Scott to emerge, and the two boys watched as the girls left them alone.

Thea then looked directly at Alison who only blushed more under the scrutiny, and they both let out a giggle. The girls made it outside the school and were still letting out faint chuckles as they were accosted by a stony faced Lydia Martin. The strawberry blonde's arms were crossed over her chest and her toe was tapping impatiently in her expensive looking boots. She clicked her tongue as Thea and Alison came to a halt in front of her.

"I've been waiting for you two. We need to take her shopping. It's desperate now, I don't think she'll be able to pull off too many looks with the limited wardrobe options she has..." Lydia stated in a clipped tone before leading them off to the parking lot. Alison said a quick good bye to her dad and then the three girls were off to the mall, a place Thea dreaded and was almost too scared to enter. On the way, Lydia stopped at the Hospital. Pulling into the stop off section and turning in her seat to look at Thea with a raised brow. Thea remained in her seat and stared at the intimidating queen bee with a look that she thought would resemble a deer in headlights. "This is where you need to go and get some plastic from your daddy.." Lydia sighed, before turning back to face the front- Thea fumbled with her seat belt and struggled out of the car before looking back to the remaining two passengers- Lydia had pulled out her phone and had coerced Alison into taking selfies with her, when Lydia saw that Thea was standing on the side-walk frozen and watching them- she dismissively waved her hand, in a nonchalant gesture for Thea to get a move on. Thea nodded to herself and Lydia, before steadily walking forwards and into the cavernous but buzzing building. Stepping up to the nurses' station, she cleared her throat anxiously as a way to gain their attention. One of the nurses finally looked up from whatever she had previously been doing; the familiar and caring brown eyes of Melissa McCall looked at her patiently as a smile covered her pretty face.

"Thea sweetie, what can I do for you?" She asked kindly, giving the girl all of her attention. Thea smiled weakly.

"I was wondering if you could uhh, page my dad? I wanted to talk to him?" Thea stated unsurely, biting at her lower lip and looking to the woman who had given her comfort and been like a mother to her over the years. Melissa nodded her head and paged Thea's father just as she had asked her to. Aaron Montgomery came rushing to the nurses' station, he looked more than slightly rumpled and bedraggled. He looked surprised when he spotted Thea in front of him.

"There you go sweetie.." Melissa stated, presenting her father like some game-show hostess. Thea smiled at Melissa, the older McCall woman smiling back conspiratorially and rubbing squeezing Thea's shoulder before she wondered off in another direction; her arms laden with files. Thea finally turned to face her dad; whose face was drawn and looked more than exhausted.

"What's up? Your physical isn't for another few days.." Aaron stated his words coming out slower than usual as he tried to think of when the appointment was. Thea nodded, and tried to think of how to phrase her next words.

"Can you like ground me? Or something?" She whispered looking all around her to ensure Lydia hadn't somehow managed to sneak in and overhear their conversation. Aaron looked simply confused at her request. He frowned and shook his head slowly, as if trying to make sense of it before finally deciding to answer her verbally.

"Uhm. No? Why would I need to ground you?" He whispered back, not quite understanding why they were whispering- but following Thea's lead.

"Lydia wants to go shopping. And I'd rather be grounded than forced to endure that fresh hell.. I'd need your card and to actually pretend to enjoy myself and buy stuff and try it on! And to be honest with you, death would be a much sweeter option right about now!" Thea whispered desperately. Aaron nodded his head along with her words; turning them over in his mind.

"No. I'm not going to ground you. Here is my card, be home before eleven and buy as much as you need or Lydia tells you to. Cause sweetheart, you're a teenage girl- we're both in new territory here. So experience it and try not to kill her during.. I have surgery now, and you need to shop.." Aaron stated in bored tone, picking his wallet from his pocket and handing her the card- before dropping a kiss to her forehead and leaving with a wave over the shoulder. Thea remained stood in the hallway, card clenched in her hand. Her face was set in a stony expression and she was forcing herself to not stomp her foot in indignation. Turning on her heel as people were beginning to stare at the fuming girl, she made her way back out to the car where Lydia and Alison were waiting patiently. Lydia sighed angrily as Thea finally got back into the car, before she drove off to the mall. They pulled up outside the ominous looking glass enshrouded building- and Thea tried to strengthen her resolve as they were tugged towards the entrance. Thea was dragged from store to store; her arms carrying heaps of clothes, before she was forced into the changing rooms and demanded to try them all on. Once outfits were decided on- Thea was dragged to the cash register to pay, before being led to another store to begin the process all over again. This continued for three hours; until they were politely told by a store manager that they were nearing closing time- this was their invitation to leave. And Thea complied quickly, wishing to leave what she considered to be the seventh circle of hell. Her arms were heavy with bags upon bags of clothes; something Thea never thought could be so heavy. Lydia had a small bag in her hand and Alison also had a couple of bags- but Thea felt like a pack mule, toting at least four bags in each hand. Though thinking about the collection she had; Thea was relatively happy with the outcome, she has jeans and boots, tops that weren't too bad but were fashionable according to Lydia, she had a few dresses and some skirts and even a couple pairs of shorts... Thea supposed it wasn't as bad as it could have been, and hoped against hope that this would ward Lydia off from dragging her to the mall again too soon. As they arrived outside Thea's apartment building- Thea was commanded to wear a pair of ripped jeans and one of her new tops to school, Thea just agreed half-heartedly and made her way inside. Trudging through the door to her room, she dumped the bags at the bottom of her bed before she collapsed onto the sheet-less bed and fell to sleep almost immediately, but not before she noticed the unicorn toy from earlier; which had been lying underneath her window before she and her father left this morning was missing. Though this thought didn't quite register with her as she lost consciousness quickly.

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Thank you for reading and reviewing again. I'm just so shocked, so thank you for taking the time to read!

So here is the third chapter and I hope you liked it.

Mina Luriya: Thank you for pointing that out, didn't realise it was so bad until you mentioned. So thank you, I've gone through the last chapter and this one and hopefully they aren't full of errors, if they are though tell me and I'll try to fix any grammar errors and what not. Thank you for reading, and I will continue don't worry!

lily1994: Looks like you got your wish! Thank you for reading and reviewing, it means a lot that people are taking the time to read it!

Enjoy Charlie :) x


	4. Chapter 4

**_DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TEEN WOLF, OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH TEEN WOLF. THIS IS A STORY WRITTEN OF MY OWN CREATION AND FOR MY OWN USES_**

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Ch 4:

Thea awoke the next morning and her eyes were immediately drawn to the empty spot under her window, her eyes narrowed suspiciously before she rubbed at them tiredly. Shaking her head and looking down at the rumpled dress and jacket from the day before- then her eyes roved over to where the bags of clothes lingered at the bottom of her bed. She rolled over- but overestimated the space left on her bed, and tumbled from the comfy mattress to land in a heap on the floor- with a resounding thump on the cold hardwood flooring. Growling to herself as she readjusted and pushed her tired body up- Thea realised that her bedroom door was wide open and he father was standing in the open space with a baseball bat brandished in his hands. He looked drawn and exhausted, but his eyes were alert as they danced around the room looking for a possible hazard or intruder. Thea had to hold in her giggles as she watched him visibly heave a relieved sigh and dropped the bat to hang by his body.

"Coffee first." Was all he grumbled before he wandered sleepily from the room and into the kitchen. Thea was still rooted in her spot, just staring after him with a jovial smile on her face before she looked to the clock beside her bed and realised she was running late. As in so late, she had no time to shower before school- she'd barely have time for something to eat and take her meds!

"Aghhrr!" she growled out, before madly dashing around the room and collecting the things she needed; ripped jeans, boots, red plaid shirt and a black cropped top for underneath- following exactly what Lydia had commanded her to wear to the T. Thea sent a sparing glance to the mirror on the back of her door and was shocked to see what appeared to be a bird's nest on her head. Brushing it through quickly before trying to haphazardly place it into a hair-tie. Sighing as she knew it wasn't going to get any better- she made her way to the kitchen and stood by her dad as he finished off the coffee he was making. When he noticed her presence next to him, he pushed an orange bottle of pills towards her; watching her closely until she finally uncapped it. Thea looked directly at him and raised her eyebrows- holding the tiny pill in her hand before opening her mouth in an exaggerated fashion and making a show of swallowing it down with a swig of juice. Her dad nodded and filled her travel mug with cocoa, dropping a kiss to her hair before moving around the kitchen- mug of coffee in hand as he began to start on breakfast.

"Oh no, dad I don't have time... I'm late as it is, and yesterday I didn't even go in... I'll be around for dinner later though..." Thea called over her shoulder as she made to leave the abode.

"You need something in your stomach with those! You know that Thea!" He yelled, causing her to turn back around and grab a banana from the fruit bowl on the counter. Waving it at him over her shoulder she left to the sound of his heavy sigh. Thea used the elevator to get to the garage and to her car- almost running to try and get to it and on her way to school quickly. Once the doors were unlocked; she threw her bag into the passenger's seat, and dove in herself- getting situated quickly. She buckled her seat belt and pushed the key into the ignition; checking her mirrors to see it was clear. Before beginning to back out of the spot she was parked in; darting her eyes to the rear-view mirror, ensuring it was clear. Until suddenly it wasn't. Thea saw a dishevelled figure standing a foot from the back of her car. Thea panicked and slammed her foot on the brakes to cease all movement- her body jolting forward with the sudden movement. Thea panted before ripping off her seatbelt and turning to face the back of the now stationary, idling car. Her eyes darting madly trying to catch a glimpse of whoever it was behind her. Seeing no one, she turned back to the front and went to shove her door open. As she turned to open the door- she saw on her window crimson dripping down it; the trails of blood coming from the marking that was drawn upon it. A marking that seemed all too familiar, but at the same time completely foreign. It was a rough interpretation- and the more she looked at the design, the more her shoulder ached. A loud banging on the back window broke Thea out of her staring competition with the bloody design on her window.

She turned and faced the back window and saw her dad waving one of her books in his hand; Thea sighed out in relief she turned to face the door to work the window beside her. And the design was gone- she sat and breathed deeply, shaking her head slightly before grabbing the book from her dad's hand. He smiled and stepped back waving as she pulled out from her spot. Thea focused her mind on driving to school, and not the fact that she was seeing things again. The drive was short- what took most tome was trying to find a parking spot in the already busy lot. After she'd accomplished finding a spot, she grabbed all her necessities and dashed from the car- locking it over her shoulder and running full pelt to the front entrance. Thea managed to dash to her locker and was able to change out the books she needed; but as she was about to run to class just after first bell. She was accosted by a stony faced Erica.

"Nice threads..." Was all she stated, it wasn't what she said. And it wasn't how she said it; it was the way her eyes felt like they were boring into Thea's soul. "Lydia sure does have good taste right? It must have been fin to hang out with people..." Erica murmured bitterly, still staring at Thea unblinkingly. Thea swallowed the excess saliva that was gathering in her dry-feeling mouth; Erica was making her nervous, the frizzy haired girl was angry and hurt. And Thea knew she should have responded to her messages the other day; but with the hospital and everything- she'd simply forgotten. But Thea knew that excuse wouldn't fly with the fuming blonde before her.

"I uhh, yeah. She demanded I get new stuff case my closet depressed her or something..." Thea all but whispered out nervously. Tying not to appear as nervous as she felt. Erica nodded with a sarcastic smile on her chapped lips, her narrowed eyes dropping to where Thea' wrist was settled by her hip- if possible, they narrowed further and her mouth set itself.

"You must really love your birthday present." Was all she hissed before she flounced off- she was moving too quickly for Thea's brain to catch up with what she'd just said. Once her mind finally caught up, her own eyes darted to her bare wrist. Her eyebrows furrowing as she noticed the bracelet was indeed missing. And for the life of her, Thea couldn't remember the last time she'd seen it. Groaning loudly as the final bell rang- she was officially late, and had to sprint to her first class. As she burst through the door, the whole class turned to stare at her; the twenty-something pairs of eyes following her every move as she tried to inconspicuously make her way to her assigned seat. Which just had to be in the middle of the room, the one place it was most awkward to get to without disturbing the peace. Biting her lip- hard, and praying her cheeks weren't as red as they felt, Thea settled into her seat and gathered her materials on her desk. She stared forwards- looking only at the board and the irritated looking teacher. As the teacher finally moved her glare from Thea and continued with whatever she was saying before; Thea felt her finger tap on the desk beside her note book. Tap, tap-tap, tap-tap-tap, tap, tap-tap, tap-tap-tap. Tap, tap-tap, tap-tap-tap. Thea was so focused on writing notes with her other hand; she hadn't noticed eyes were once again upon her. And those eyes were soon followed by a hand resting on top of her own- ceasing it's tapping quickly and efficiently. Thea gasped quietly and let her eyes wander to the pale hand on top of her own, her eyes finally meeting Stiles' mocha gaze. His bushy eyebrows were furrowed as he continued to stare at her, his hand unmoving- his mouth opening and closing as if he were trying to say something, before his eyes drifted slightly in front of her. Thea followed his gaze and came face-to-face with Scott's own concerned face. But he wasn't focusing on her, no- he and Stiles were staring at each other. It was almost like they were communicating with each other silently. Thea looked between them, and when she was sure she wasn't going to get any answers from either of them, she wriggled her hand out from underneath Stiles'. That drew his and Scott's attention back to her until a girl by the window gasped.

"I think they found something!" She exclaimed almost excitedly. The class all stood from their seats and rushed to the window to see; Thea confused at what was happening followed with the crowd and tried to get a good view point. But her small stature didn't allow for that, Thea was resigning herself to not indignant what was happening- until a hand gripped her wrist and pulled her to the side and in front of someone's chest. Thea looked up and saw Isaac, with a light pink dusting covering his pale cheeks; he sent a fleeting smile down to her before staring back out the window, Thea following his lead. Her eyes widened as she saw the scene before her. One of the yellow school busses was completely trashed, with red paint splattered both in and outside of it. Thea wondered why there were people bustling about and an ambulance idling nearby- she hadn't made the connection that what she had assumed was paint- to actually be blood, until she saw EMT's rushing something out of the demolished bus on a gurney. Her mouth dropped open in a small gasp, as she watched them wheel the injured or possibly dead body from the vehicle. Isaac having heard her gasp, gripped her shoulder- trying to comfort the shocked girl who was resting against him softly. Thea watched in abject horror as the previously assumed unconscious or dead body; leapt up and let out an anguished wail. A wail that was so painful, it resonated within her chest and made her ache. Once the spectacle was finished, the teacher commanded everyone to find their seats again- she tried to continue teaching the class, but it was a futile attempt. Nobody was taking notice of what she was saying or trying to teach at all. In fact there were whispered conversations going on all around her, and Thea found herself wondering what on Earth had happened to that poor person from the bus. Luckily for the teacher's patience, the bell rang and let the teenagers pack up their gear and flow from this class to the next. As Thea was walking through the halls, she was stopped by Lydia.

"Nice, you look good- maybe you could open the button up a little, let people see what you're actually wearing... But good!" Lydia stated prowling around Thea in an unsettling manner, before traipsing off to her last class before lunch. Thea shook her head and did as she was advised, unbuttoning the shirt and allowing the cropped top beneath to show as well as the sliver of skin that peeked from undLooking down at her body and feeling uncomfortable with how she looked- she moved her hands to button the shirt back up fully. Until she heard a load scoff- Thea looked up and found the stare of Erica. She just shook her head at Thea before she moved into the classroom next to her- Thea on the other hand stayed in rooted to her spot and tried to think of a way to make it up to the frizzy-haired blonde. As the second bell rang, Thea made a mad dash to her classroom and settled in quickly- before the final bell this time. The lesson flew by, but the main focus wasn't the history of the civil war; but it was in fact about the injured guy from the bus and what could have happened to him to cause such injuries. The history teacher gave up her lesson quickly enough, and picked up a book from his desk- allowing his students to talk amongst themselves until the lunch bell rang loud and clear. Once more the room emptied quickly as ravenous teens flooded to the cafeteria for food. Thea followed along with the lines of hungry students, picking up a slice of pizza when she made it to the counter and walking over to where Stiles and Scott were sat. Plopping down on the seat next to the Stilinski boy who was shovelling tater-tots into his mouth at an almost impressive speed- if it hadn't been so disgusting- and across from Scott who was also watching their hyper companion chow through his plate of food in awe. They were so entranced by the boy; they jumped when Lydia slapped her tray on the table next to Thea. The Montgomery girl gasped and raised a hand to her chest in surprise to feel her heart pounding.

"Why is she sitting with us?" Stiles asked astonished that the strawberry blonde- the girl he was in love with was sitting there so close to him. Thea grimaced as tater-tots flew across the table from his too full mouth, hearing the disgusted noise come from beside her also. Scott just shook his head, to answer the question and also at his clumsy friend. Soon their little table was filled with all of Lydia's usual crew; Alison took a seat next to Scott smiling coyly at him before grinning at Thea opposite her, Danny soon sat down next to her and some guy on the lacrosse team- who Thea didn't really know, but from the way he was leering across at her and Lydia, she didn't want to. Jackson stood behind the leering creep, and glared down at him. Before growling at him to move. The kid jumped up but not before demanding to know why he never asked Danny to move.

"Because I don't stare at his girlfriend's coin slot..." Danny stated in a blasé manner, the pleasant grin was directed to Thea as she snorted in an unattractive manner at is comment. Stiles laughed loudly, Alison raised her eyebrows and smirked slightly, Lydia scoffed disgusted again- but this time by Thea and that awful noise that had erupted from her and Scott looked at his lap before anyone could see the broad smile on his tan face. The table then fell into silence as Thea's cheeks burned brightly. Danny let his eyes rove over the table once more, seeing how uncomfortable the Montgomery girl was- he took pity on her and changed the subject abruptly.

"So I hear they're saying that guy was attacked by some kind of animal... maybe a cougar?" He stated, trying to start a conversation and take the pressure off her- Thea smiled at him gratefully.

"I heard mountain lion..." Jackson stated bored already with this new topic, as he played with the food on his plate. A sigh sounded from beside her, causing Thea to look at Lydia.

"A cougar is a mountain lion... Isn't it?" She stated before changing, her intonation and making it a question. She even added a hair twirl to complete the act. Thea staring at her only slightly confused.

"Who cares?!" Jackson stated almost angrily, staring at his girlfriend with an almost betrayed look on his chiselled face. Thea shrank back from Jackson's stare and closer to Stiles as he pulled up a news report on his phone and held it out for everyone to see- Thea was squished up so closely to Stiles she was resting against him and Lydia was pressed against her, in a really strange human sandwich. All attention was then piled onto Scott as he announced that he knew the victim; from when he lived with his dad. Thea tried not to grimace at the new revelation, though she watched- only mildly jealous- as Alison rest her hand against his shoulder to comfort him. Once the video had stopped playing, Lydia took command of the conversation.

"Can we talk about something more fun please?" She sighed in an exasperated manner, as if the last few minutes had deeply offended her in some manner. "Oh, like what are we doing tomorrow night?" She exclaimed looking to Alison. Alison eyes widened to the point that it looked like they would pop form her head, Thea did feel slightly bad for them. This was their second chance at a first date- but Lydia and Jackson were now supposedly crashing it. "You said you and Scott were hanging out tonight right?" Lydia further explained when she didn't receive the response she wanted. Thea turned to look at the determined girl beside her; the smile on Lydia's face looked realistic, but to Thea it looked too saccharine to be real- and her eyes held a mildly poisonous look. Thea held her breath and watched the conversation as if it were a tennis match of some sort. Her eyes darting from one speaker to the next.

"Uhhm... we were thinking of what we were going to do..?" Alison answered, though it was phrased as a question- looking to Scott, practically begging him to join in and save her with her wide eyes. It was like watching a car crash or something; Thea couldn't look away or intervene, Scot unsurely asked Alison if she wanted to go with the power couple, and Alison being new and only recently having acquired Lydia and co as friends agreed it would be fun. It was at that exact moment Thea thought she could see Scott's heart be crushed.

"You know what else sounds fun? Stabbing myself in the face with this fork!" Jackson grumbled, Thea wished he would do just that- he was beginning to irritate her to no end.

"How about Bowling? You love to bowl!" Lydia suggested, Thea could tell she was almost desperate now. Jackson just scoffed.

"Yeah, I love to bowl with actual competition..." Jackson laughed, though it sounded hollow and taunting. Alison looked to Scott to see him struggling to say something back, Thea was sat quietly watching and picking at her pizza with Stiles.

"How do you know we're not actual competition?" Alison challenged, a glare on her pretty features stopped Jackson's laughter. She then turned to Scot next to her. "You can bowl right?" she murmured quietly, hoping he wouldn't make her eat her own words. Scott froze, he knew he couldn't bowl. And so did Stiles and Thea- they were being of now help though, Stiles had cheese dangling from his lips- from Thea's shared pizza and Thea herself was searching in her bag for something.

"Sort of..." was all he could muster to mutter back to the girl he was trying to impress. It was then Scott noticed the rattling of something in Thea's bag, he cut his eyes to her to see her putting something in her mouth- before reaching for Stiles' bottle of water. Stiles let out a squawk of indignation as she swallowed some of his drink down, he clocked the orange bottle in her hand and let it drop- choosing to nab some more of her cheesy pizza, knowing she preferred the pepperoni. Scott frowned and continued to stare at her, watching her movements- wracking his brain to the last time he'd seen her take the meds.

"Is that sort of a yes or a no?" Jackson taunted, not letting it go. Goading Scott to respond with a definitive answer.

"Yes. Actually I'm a great bowler!" Scott exclaimed, causing Stiles and Thea to choke and almost do a spit take respectively. The two just frowned at him before packing up their stuff and travelling from the cafeteria like the rest of the student body. They walked in silence, none of them really knowing what to say to the other. They continued with their day; going to classes, taking notes and acknowledging the homework they were given. After the last bell had rung, Thea met up with Scott and Stiles in the hall way and they all stopped off at the McCall boys locker. Thea leaned against the locker next to his, and Stiles leaned on her- the two apparently too tired to hold their own weight.

"You're a terrible bowler... Do we not remember the bowling debacle of '07?" He asked exasperatedly. Scott gave them a pained expression.

"I know. I don't know what happened. It was like word vomit... Oh God, what am I gonna do?" Scott bemoaned, letting his hands scrub over his face. He was so screwed. "I'm such an idiot!" he whined.

"That was painful to witness... I mean it was like watching a car wreck... I mean one moment it was a date and then it turned into a group hang..." Stiles stated, patting a sympathetic hand on Scott's shoulder. "You don't hang out with hot girls okay? It's like the kiss of death. One moment you're hanging out and then the next you may as well be her brother or her gay best friend..." Stiles continued, it seemed like he was enjoying this almost a little bit too much. Thea just shrugged when the two boys looked in her direction.

"What the hell would I know about it...? I may as well be a nun for all the experience I have..." Thea stated, holding her hands up as if to surrender- to what she was unsure of. Stiles raised his eyebrow, she had no idea the affect she had on others and it was slightly annoying; yeah sure she had a history, but any straight guy with eyes could see Thea was hot, hell Lydia and Alison were friends with her- hot people herded together, it was science or something.

"How can this be happening? One moment I'm going on a date with the girl of my dreams and now it's a group thing!" Scott whined pathetically as he slid down the lockers and landed on the floor. "I make first line, but the captain wants to destroy me! And now I'm late for work!" Scott moaned loudly, he dashed off towards the exit- kids falling and sliding out of his way as he went. Stiles sighed, before turning to his female companion, wrapping one of his arms around her shoulders and leading her to the parking lot.

"You uhh, you need a ride home or something?" Stiles asked unsurely, still with his arm wrapped comfortably around her shoulders as they continued walking. Stiles felt around in his pocket with his other hand; it finding the keys he needed for to get home, and the charm bracelet Scott had found in the woods. He'd given it to Stiles for some obscure reasoning. He sighed before pulling her to a stop just before the parking lot, people were still milling around them. "Here, I think you lost this at the party the other day..." He stated handing her the delicate bracelet; he knew she hadn't lost it and that it was Derek who had actually stolen it to freak him and Scott out- truth be told, he'd done a good job. Thea smiled gratefully, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight hug- one that was tight enough to be uncomfortable. When she pulled away Stiles gripped her wrist gently and began to wrap the silver around it, he checked over all of the charms as he fastened it; the unicorn, the E, the T and the brand new S charm that dangled from it all shining brightly in the sun light from over head. Thea gasped as the cool silver touched her skin, but then smiled as she stroked over it with her other hand- finding all of the tiny little charms. Though her expression suddenly changed when she felt a new one- she inspected it and let a beaming smile form on her face. The new S charm was obviously from Stiles, and she was grateful and ecstatic to have it back- as she again threw her arms around him and snuggling into his warmth.

"Happy birthday Thea..." He whispered to her. When they finally let go of each other, they were the only ones still standing and not in their cars. Stiles gestured to the blue jeep once more, and Thea shook her head softly. Whispering a 'Thank you' to his cheek as she left a gentle kiss there, she watched as a delicate pink dusted his cheeks. She smiled broadly and waved over her shoulder before traipsing to her own car- gently patting Stiles on the arm before she left him in front of his blue Jeep. Once she'd arrived home, Thea decided to try and complete the assignments and homework shed already been assigned that week. After slogging her way through the piles of homework for what felt like days- she was interrupted by her phone vibrating insistently by her books. She looked at the caller ID.

"Alison? You okay?" Thea asked into the speaker, she was twiddling with her pen in the other hand as she waited for the Argent's response.

"Hey Thea.. I just got back from my date with Scott and I just needed to talk to you about it if that's okay!?" Alison answered, Thea could almost hear the smile in her voice. But then Thea frowned, wasn't there a curfew?

"Isn't there a curfew? But sure go ahead and gush.." Thea stated. Sure she was jealous of the pair- liking each other and what not, but she was still happy that two of her friends were so smitten and joyous.

"Well, yeah. I guess there is, but we all ignored it. Plus how else was I supposed to go on a date with Scott without bending the rules a little?" Alison asked, smirking. "It was great! I mean Scott sucked at bowling for the first game, but once I gave him some encouragement he really began to kick ass! And then Lydia and Jackson had a fight I guess- so we all left..." Alison rambled, detailed the date to Thea. "But when Scott dropped me off we kissed! He actually kissed me Thea!" She squealed the last part of her recount. Thea had to pull the phone away from her ear to avoid a burst ear drum. Though she smiled in spite of herself.

"So... any fireworks? Any plans for your next date? One for just the two of you maybe?" Thea teased, Alison giggled on the other end of the line.

"There may have been a few sparkles... But no, no plans for any dates unless you count study dates as actual dates?" Alison questioned, she was still grinning from ear to ear just remembering the feeling of Scott's lips on hers. The two girls chattered back and forth for a while; helping each other with homework and such. Until Alison let out a gasp- that startled Thea on the other end.

"Alison? Are you okay?" Thea asked panicking slightly as to why she would gasp and then go silent. But the laughter she heard soon calmed her down.

"Yeah Thea I'm fine... Sorry for freaking you out and stuff, but my Aunt Kate just walked in! We haven't seen each other for ages!" Alison explained. Thea let out a relieved breath and smiled at the obvious joy in her friends voice.

"Helloo Thea!" An unfamiliar voice called into the phone, causing a smile to tug at Thea's mouth.

"Hey there.." She replied, the three girls exchanged idle chat before they said good bye a short while later.

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A double update, cause I've had nothing to do whilst I've been on holiday and it was the perfect excuse to write about Thea and her adventures. This one is a little weak, I struggled to incorporate Thea, and this is the best I could come up with. So I apologize if it's not up to standard!

Now, I'm not entirely sure who Thea is going to end up with; Scott or Stiles. That's why at the moment there isn't any romance for her. I can't decide between the two lovely boys, but if you have a preference please let me know!

It may take me awhile to work out how to incorporate Thea into the next few episodes- but I will eventually. So bare with me!

As always let me know what you think.

Charlie :) x


	5. Chapter 5: Magic Bullet part 1

**_DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TEEN WOLF, OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH TEEN WOLF. THIS IS A STORY WRITTEN OF MY OWN CREATION AND FOR MY OWN USES._**

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Ch 5: Magic Bullet pt 1.

Thea woke up the next morning, in a much better mood. Though she was slightly unnerved by the prospect of having to see more Doctors and take more medications. Sitting up in bed slowly and allowing the snuggly warm feeling to drift away from her slowly- she rubbed at her tired eyes and decided to finally move from the warm heaven of her bed. Not bothering to look in the mirror- and see how bedraggled she'd look; if Lydia were to see her now- the feisty fashionista would probably have a meltdown. Chuckling as she made her way to the shower and began the ritual of cleansing her skin and cleaning her hair and body, when she felt fresh and relaxed- she left the steamy shower cubicle, snuggling up and drying off in the plush towel. Wrapping one around her hair to stop drips following her through the apartment, and walking back to her cooler room to get dressed. Finding some undies and a slouchy off the shoulder sweater to wear, before glancing down to her legs. It seemed a little chilly today, and Thea wondered if her legs could handle being out in the cold air all day- and decided instead to go for a pair of light blue ripped jeans. She looked in the mirror and didn't look half bad, she guessed- but she knew Lydia would have something to say about her clothing choice as soon as they met. Leaving her hair to dry naturally, in dark waves around her shoulders; before looking at her pale face in the mirror, she tried to remember what it was Lydia had done to her face for the party, but her brain just wasn't cooperating.

She cautiously scanned her aching eyes over the array of tools and eyeliners, and something that looked like it belonged in a torture chamber- but she was pretty sure Lydia said it had something to do with her eyelashes? Though she wasn't sure she should wield it just yet, her eyes were already aching and Thea was sure she'd need to wear her glasses today; she didn't think aggravating them anymore at this point would be a good idea. Scrubbing her hands over her face as her mind swirled with the garbled words Lydia had spoken to her about make-up and putting it on. It was no use though; the words were too jumbled in her mind, so Thea decided to grab the bright lipstick from the dresser top; the colour was a deep red. She salved it on her lips and popped them as Lydia had shown her to do, watching her reflection; watching mirror Thea as she stared back at her. Cheeks dusted with pink from the blush she'd applied, wavy hair on her shoulders, wine coloured lips and black eyes staring back at her. She gasped; mirror Thea mimicking her actions, but the eyes remained. Soulless and cruel. The eyes widened mockingly and Thea felt herself slipping forwards, pressing a shaking hand to the cold glass. Mirror Thea watched, a look of interest painting her features.

"It's okay, I've got you Thea..." She could feel her lips shaping the words, her reflection grinning maniacally. The words echoing around the room as if in an amphitheatre. Thea glanced her eyes around the room, the lights flickering as if the bulbs needed changing desperately. Thea turned to her mirror and felt a scream clawing at her throat, frantic to escape. But as both Thea's eyes met; black glaring into terrified brown through the glass barrier, she knew it was no use. Her brown eyes trailing down to her reflection's lips; they were stitched together roughly, as if someone had done it in a rush. Thea lifted her finger to her lips, feeling the ache already there and a dread that filled her quivering body. Her quaking fingers traced over course stitches that were suturing her lips together. A muffled scream left her lips, the aching ever present in the sewn flesh. Tears flooded her face and dripped quickly from her wobbling chin. Her blurry eyes looked back into the mirror and saw Mirror Thea laughing in a cruel and deranged manner. A cold hand on her shoulder forced Thea to avert her eyes to just behind her. And there, in the glass; Thea saw the same bedraggled figure she'd been seeing continuously. The messy black hair, glassy blue eyes, lips open to let breath rush out. Tears fell more quickly down Thea's face, her eyes locked on the reflection. Her stare only broken by the sound of her door opening behind her. There stood her father in the doorway, mug filled with cocoa in one hand and the other rattling the small orange bottle. Thea shook her head and turned to her father, eyes still wide. She quickly let her fingers trace over her perfectly unsewn lips, turning to face the mirror and seeing her face. Her tired and shocked face. Her usual brown eyes. Wine coloured lips and blushing cheeks.

Nothing was wrong or out of place. None of what she'd just seen in the mirror had actually happened. And Thea was beginning to get really tired of imagining horrible things. That doctors appointment needed to happen sooner not later. She stood shakily from her chair and moved over to her dad, wrapping her arms around him and burrowing into his comforting warm chest. He frowned, but awkwardly wrapped his full hands around her also- just holding her. She pulled away slowly and held her hands out for the cocoa and the pills. Taking a sip of the hot liquid and letting it slide down her throat and calmed her frayed nerves, she then shook a pill from the bottle and slipped it between her lips. Gulping down some more cocoa and the pill, before following her father from the room. She picked her bag up on the way out the door and wandered down to the parking garage as normal. Settling into her car, and taking a few shaking deep breathes before starting up the car and driving to school. She piled out of the car when she spotted Stiles also arriving. She ran to him and fell into step beside him. It took him a while to notice her beside him, and when he did he flailed around.

"Gahhh! Thea, don't sneak up on a guy!" He shouted, his arms waving around dramatically. Thea chuckled at him, she shouldn't enjoy startling him so much; but the awkward way he flailed and flapped his arms always managed to bring a smile to her lips. "Yeah, sure- laugh at the guy having palpitations.. You're a cruel individual.." Stiles grumbled, one of his hands resting on his chest in a way that would put Scarlet O'Hara to shame. Thea could feel the grin lighting her features, and as the Stilinski boy turned to glare at the girl walking beside him; his own face changed into a grin. It was almost infectious, and Stiles couldn't help the way his heart sped up slightly seeing it, or the way his cheeks seemed to feel a little warmer than a moment ago. They continued to walk towards the front entrance of the school; both grinning slightly as other students rushed around dashing to different people or areas. They walked in silence, a comfortable one- neither wanting to break the moment just yet. Every so often their shoulders would bump into one another, or their hands would brush, and each time they did. The pair would meet each other's gaze and smile some more. Thea and Stiles had gathered their supplies from their lockers respectively, and were happy to walk the halls until the bell rang for the start of the school day. At least they were until they heard Thea's name being called down the hallway.

"Miss Montgomery!" The teenage pair turned in unison to face the person who was desperate for their attention. As they turned, they spotted Dr Peters- the math teacher stumbling up the hall. A briefcase in one hand and a stack of papers being waved in the other. Thea could feel her heart drop right into her boot clad feet. Dr Peters; was the teacher of one of the many subjects she struggled with. Thea would freely admit her jealousy of anyone who possessed any mathematical understanding - and the fact that that their teacher had just that. A vast understanding and a doctorate. Those facts kind of, sort of irked her. She could feel her mood drop to a simmering anger, her cheeks flushing with an embarrassed pink as the older man finally caught up to them. Stiles stood beside Thea and could feel her change in mood almost instantly, he was only mildly irritated by the interruption- though he dutifully stood there waiting patiently. He slid his eyes side ways to view Thea from his peripheral, watching her body tense and become more stoic. Dr Peters stood huffing slightly beside them and gestured one full hand to an empty classroom, Thea bit her lip and pushed the door open. The Dr followed after her, and Stiles attempted to; but was stopped by Dr Peters shaking his head and closing the door in his face. Stiles glared at the back of his math teacher and gestured angrily, before flopping back and resting his back against the wall and sulking. Once the pair inside were settled, Dr Peters handed the stack of papers to Thea. She took them in her shaky hands, her eyes scanning the information on them. The handwriting looked vaguely familiar and she clocked the bright red failing grade circled in the top right hand corner of each page. From what little information she could gather, she was holding previous homework and pop quizzes. And suddenly it all clicked in her jumbled brain. Thea raised her eyes to glance at the Dr who was waiting for her.

"Thea. I think you can guess why you're here?" Dr Peters asked, his voice calm and soothing. Thea nodded her head grudgingly, shuffling the papers before her to distract from the debilitating humiliation that was seeping through her body all the way to her bones.

"All of the papers you've looked through are the homeworks and weekly quizzes we've had. And I'm positive you've noticed the running theme with all of them." Dr Peters spoke the words quietly, in a gentle manner. Almost as if she were some volatile animal, and one wrong word or action would spring her into violence. Thea just sat still, and absorbed his words.

"I'm a little worried Thea. We haven't even been back at school for a month. And already you're grades are failing ones- at least in my class anyways..." Dr Peters continued. There was obvious concern in his voice, which only served to make Thea feel all the more mortified by what was happening. She tried to avoid his line of vision- not wanting to see the disappointment resting there.

"Thea, is there anything I can do to support you more? Help you understand things more or what? Please let me know, I'm here to help you succeed. But from these scores and grades; you aren't. And I'm not sure what else I can do!" As Dr Peters continued, he seemed to get more and more frustrated. Thea wasn't sure if not was with her or himself, so she said nothing.

"We need to get your grades up, otherwise..." He cut off, running a hand frustratedly down his tired looking face. Thea turned his last statement over in her mind, how was she meant to get her grades up when the subject flew over her head. She could feel her face morph into that if anger; her eyes narrowing and her brows stitching together. She clenched a fist and slammed it in the desk in front of her.

"Otherwise what?" She questioned. Her tone telling how angry the pair of them was becoming. Thea wasn't entirely sure where her anger was coming from, but she couldn't suppress it no matter how she tried. Dr Peters didn't know what she was going through, he didn't know she was hallucinating. He didn't know she was popping pills like it was going out of fashion- not that those pills were doing any good.

"Otherwise you'll be taking math with the freshmen. Maybe it'll bridge the gap .. It may even be like a refresher for you.. Apart from getting a tutor. I think that's the only option we have.." Dr Peters sighed. Thea smirked.

"Then I'll get a tutor. Is that all?" She asked in a snarly manner. Her words stinging even her own lips as they spewed from her. When Peters said nothing, she gripped her bag from the floor where she'd dropped it and flounced dramatically from the room. Stiles who was still resting on the wall by the door, almost fell over in shock as she stormed from the room and dragged him with her. Stiles struggled to keep up with her quick paced stroppy strides, though he said nothing until they stopped outside their first period class.

"So how'd it go in there?" Stiles used his most gentle voice, in hopes of not angering her more. Thea on the other hand, glared at the floor and fumed beside him, her brain spinning in about thirty different directions; as she tried to think of words to explain without screaming it at him. She took a deep breath and held it for a second, not letting it go until she felt one large warm hand envelope her own. Her eyes flew open and the breath left her in a rush, as her eyes slid up to meet the concern on Stiles' face.

"I'm failing math. And Dr Peters days that if I don't get my grades up, I'll have to take math with the freshman..." Thea muttered out, suddenly feeling emotionally drained. She pulled herself into his chest and let her weight rest on his chest, his arms hesitantly coming around her body. Thea vaguely wondered when she became so comfortable and needy with the Stilinski boy, she felt like his presence and arms supporting her; were the only things keeping her together at the moment. Stiles cleared his throat, almost anxiously- before letting one hand stroke over her hair in what he supposed was meant to be more comfort. But he wasn't sure if it felt more like he was petting a dog to Thea.

"Well..uh if you ever need help with the math work or homework or something- then I'm pretty good at it.. I might be able to help?" Stiles phrased it more as a question, not entirely sure what would happen next. Thea raised her head, tilting it upwards so she could look into his big brown eyes- they seemed unsure and Thea could feel the nerves just rolling from him. She couldn't face as she mulled over the idea. She needed a tutor and who better than Stiles who knew her ability. He would never lose patience with her lacking skills, he would never laugh at her for getting something wrong; no, Stiles would try and help her to understand. Much better than Dr Peters did, Dr Peters pitied her sure- but that didn't help her grasp the concepts he preached about. Thea could feel her head nodding furiously- it was nodding so quickly that Stiles wondered if it would pop off her neck and roll down the steadily filling hallway.

"Alright, well come over to my place after school and we can go over the stuff you don't get? We can order Chinese or something and get you back on track.." Stiles muttered, his face also pulling into a grin. He couldn't help it- it was contagious, she made his heart stutter and his breath stop as she leaned up on her tip-toes and gently pressed her lips to his cheek. She pulled away slowly, as if she knew how spooked he had been by the sudden contact- once her lips were out of range she giggles almost madly and pulled away from his statue like body. He watched as she twirled around giggling, almost as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Thea was still twirling around joyously when Scott stumbled upon the pair. He watched in confusion as Thea span and whirled before coming to a stop in front of them both and laughing breathlessly. Scott tilted his head, which only made Thea laugh more- as his resemblance to a confused puppy only seemed to strengthen. She watched as Scott looked to Stiles who was chuckling at her antics and then to herself- she was still grinning madly; but then she realised that the hall was filled with other people. She could see Lydia and Alison at the other end of the hall; Alison was smiling gently, Lydia was frowning and Jackson was scowling towards the trio. Upon seeing their faces, Thea shook herself from her excited stupor. Thea turned to Scott and Stiles, who were both still smiling at her. Thea stepped towards them, collected her books and bag from the floor- they'd flown off her arm as she span around- and settled next to her boys before they all turned and began to make their way towards the first class. She was walking next to Stiles, instead of letting their arms brush- Thea laced her arm through his. Stiles blushed down at her and they shared a smile as he mocked a gentlemanly bow- until the moment was ruined by Scott shoving his head between the pair- he wriggled his way between them until he was settled in the middle as per. Thea grinned and shook his head- as he acted like a child in need of attention- though internally she felt as if her stomach was sinking- like a pin had popped her happiness balloon. And Scott happened to be that pin.

"Ahh man, Harris hates me. I probably failed that pop quiz- and he's probably enjoying that.." Scott bemoaned, his voice a little whiny and making Thea bit at her inner cheek to stop a snarky retort popping out. Scott didn't struggle with classes or studying, he was just lazy and preferred to play video games or practice lacrosse or do something equally unproductive. Academically speaking; Stiles was the gifted of the three of them, he was able and could do the work with not trouble- his problem lay with the fact that he struggled to keep his active mind focused on one thing at a time- meaning his homework took forever, Thea on the other hand needed all the help she could get. And Scott just didn't try, Thea knew that if he put his mind to it- he'd be passing all of his classes. They meandered their way towards the end of the hallway- soon enough they were trailing behind Lydia and Co, the strawberry blonde looked over her shoulder. Her frown deepened as she stared at Thea following behind- her green gaze glared at the outfit she was wearing and her cherry lips pursed when Thea didn't seem to get the mental message she was sending her way. Getting tired of the ignorance being displayed towards her, Lydia cleared her throat loudly.

At the delicate 'Hem-hem' Thea felt her eyes grow wide, and realised her presence was required with Lydia and Alison. She looked to the boys and smiled sheepishly before stepping forward and falling into step with the two girls. Alison looked behind her and waved delicately to Scott, and Thea watched as Lydia rolled her eyes- but the brunette didn't miss the small smirk that pulled at her lips. The walked through the halls and with each step they got further away from Scott and Stiles- which made Thea wonder if that was Lydia's plan all along. When they were reasonable distance from them- and Thea could only see the tops of their heads in the distance, Lydia turned to Jackson and gave him a pointed look- to which he rolled his eyes but complied all the same, it was when the three were alone; did Lydia finally round on Alison.

"So, Alison… What happened when after we crushed you at bowling and left you to celebrate?" Lydia asked, she was smirking once more; but Thea could see a dangerous spark in her eyes. Alison glanced at her- brown eyes widening as she thought to the night before, Alison and Thea had shared a phone call and the brown eyed beauty had spared no detail when recounting the nights events to Thea. The girls shared a worried glance, wondering if the bossy strawberry blonde had acquired psychic powers over night. Luckily Alison recovered quicker than Thea did- Thea was still trying to calm her breathing and rearrange her face into a less guilty expression as Alison regaled Lydia with the details she so desperately wanted. Thea wondered why this was such a big deal- Alison and Lydia literally were together last night on the date; surely they each knew what happened on it. Thea re-joined the conversation when Alison nudged her arm.

"Oh. You won't be _just _ studying.. it never is. I mean sure, you might start out studying but then one thing leads to another and boom your making out.. It's like being in a hot tub, it's all fun until someone cops a feel.." Lydia stated, smirking and raising an eyebrow. Alison blushed a pretty pink and Thea just felt confused and she was sure her face was showing that.

"I don't think it'll be like that.. I mean Scott's a good guy, he's not a horn dog.." Alison replied furrowing her brow and glancing at Thea for confirmation- to which she just shrugged. How was she to know?

"Umm if you like the guy then it should be.. I mean if you want to keep him interested you have to dangle the carrot.. Plus he's a teenage boy, he's desperate for someone to touch him in his special place.." Lydia shrugged, Alison stared wide eyed at Thea. And Thea stood in shock, she'd never thought about Scott like that- and she felt uncomfortable anyone thinking or talking about him in that way, it made her shiver in an unnerved way.

"I'm studying with Stiles tonight. I sure as hell won't be dangling any carrots for him.." Thea chuntered to herself mainly, but Alison must have heard her as she elbowed her and giggled before answering Lydia.

"What do you mean? Dangle the carrot?" Alison asked in confusion, looking to Lydia like she was an all knowing being of some sort. Thea also wondering what on Earth she was talking about.

"You know, keep him interested. Give him a little taste.." Lydia explained slowly as if she were talking to children. Alison's blush darkened. Thea felt more than concerned with the current topic of conversation. She stood meekly next to Alison and desperately for this conversation to end.

"H-how much is a little taste exactly?" Alison stuttered, glancing to Thea as if she could shed any light on this, Thea shrugged her shoulders and shook her head aggressively- genuinely having nothing to add. She had no experience with the opposite sex. Lydia watched and shook her head in dismay- mumbling something that vaguely sounded like _'amateurs'_.

"Oh my God! What are you two? Disney princesses with your delicate sensibilities and virginal ways?!" Lydia asked rhetorically, rolling her eyes at their obvious innocence.

"When I first moved here, I had a plan - no boyfriends till college. I just move too much. But - Then I met him, and - He was different. I - I don't know. Can't explain it. And I really, _really _ like him!" Alison whined, even Thea could tell she was begging Lydia to share her vast knowledge of boys with her.

"I can. It's your brain flooding with phenyl ethylamine. You know, the love drug.." Lydia explained slowly, she raised one perfectly arched eyebrow and looked to Thea, who froze at the sudden attention. Like she was facing down a T-Rex, Thea hoped that if she didn't move- then Lydia wouldn't notice her. But she had no such luck, as Lydia glared at her. Thea gulped and nodded.

"W-well the whole town thinks I'm a loony toon like my mom.. so let's just say I don't have too many suiters banging down my front door.." Thea stated under the heavy scrutiny of each girl. Alison blushed even redder and looked at the floor in embarrassment. Lydia on the other hand bit at her bottom lip and looked away.

"Well that's the end of that conversation.." She muttered, before turning and grinning at Thea. Thea gratefully nodded, she didn't need to talk about how she was a social pariah or the fact that she was practically non-existent to males that weren't her; teachers, her father or Scott and Stiles. And at that point they had arrived outside their classroom, Lydia have a nod to both girls before she strutted in and took her seat. Alison followed and looked for a seat- but when Lydia glared at the person in the desk; Alison's seat was found. Thea took up her usual seat in front of Scott and Stiles. She could over hear them whispering hurriedly, she turned in her seat and tuned in to the conversation .

"That's my boy!" Stiles whispered and held his thumbs up as he grinned, to Thea it was a rather lecherous grin and she struggled not to laugh at him.

"We're just studying.." Scott muttered back, his tan cheeks blushing slightly at Stiles' implications- Thea tried to hide her smirk as Scott took notice of her expression.

"Uh, no, you're not." Stiles whispered back, shaking his head almost violently- as if the mere suggestion offended him, Thea rolled her eyes but continued to listen to the conversation all the same.

"No, I'm not?" Scott asked, now he was just confused. Completely. Stiles sighed exasperatedly.

"Not if I'm forced to live vicariously through you. If you go to her house today and squander that colossal opportunity, I swear to God I'll have you de - balled. Girls and guys never just study…" Stiles whispered vehemently, Scott and Thea shared a look before both looking with wide eyes at the Stilinski boy. Who up until that moment hadn't really realised what he had just shared with the pair. His eyes widened and mouth opened and closed rapidly- he shook his head desperately wishing to take back the words that had just spilled from his over active mouth. Thea could feel her cheeks warming- her mouth hung agape. She stared at Scott, and heard a faint giggle come from behind her- she turned her shocked gaze to the sound and instantly met the curious brown eyes of Alison and the dangerously glinting in a pair of green eyes belonging to Lydia. Thea could feel the redness of her face, and didn't need anyone to point out that fact. Moving her eyes to focus on Scott instead- she saw he was biting desperately at his bottom lip to stop himself from laughing out loud; Thea completely avoided the desperate chocolate gaze- the one belonging to the individual who had caused such embarrassment. Shaking her head- trying to shake away the shock, she quickly turned away from the two boys to face the front of the classroom; and begged to some higher power that class would soon start and end her misery and torment.

Thea got her wish, her prayers were answered but in a twisted way; as one torture ceased another began, and this one she would need to endure for another five hours. She tried to focus her attention on what her teacher was ranting about, but the monotone voice was making it hard for her to keep her eyes open- never mind pay any attention. As she slipped into her head more and more, Scott and Stiles watched as the girl in front of them let her fingers scratch at the laminate topping of her desk. Both boys were called upon to write an answer up on the black board- and being the diligent students they were, they complied grudgingly- well Stiles answered and as he write his on the board he whispered the answer to Scott's question out the side of his mouth. They finished up quickly and went to return to their desks, but their eyes were drawn to their brunette friend. Her eyes were glazed over and looked several shades darker than they usually should be. They looked so dark, almost black. So black and soulless that they stopped suddenly un front of her desk. Neither boy really knowing what to do, but watched almost entranced as her gaze lingered unseeing in front of her and her fingers still scratched at the surface of her desk. The tips of her fingers going red and looking angry as the continuous pressure was applied. Scott bit his lip, looking to Stiles for a way to fix this. To fix Thea.

"Uhh.. Thea needs to go to the nurse.." was all Stiles shouted over his shoulder to the droning teachers as he huddles Thea under his arm and led her from the room. Leaving Scott to collect the threes materials and bags, which he did quickly before running to join the pair. He met them a few hallways away from the full classrooms. Thea was still almost in a daze- her eyes still impossibly dark in colouring. Scott stood back, trying to control his own eyes, he was fighting them becoming that bright amber- Stiles looked over his shoulder to see why his wolfy friend was lingering so far away.

"Dude, a little help here!" Stiles muttered, his inner fury getting the better of him; here he was worried and trying to pull Thea from whatever was keeping her so motionless and blank. And Scott was stood a ways off shaking his head like a dopey puppy and blinking rapidly. Stile moved his hands to grip Thea's shoulders, trying to catch her eyes with his- but it was no use. The dark orbs were staring straight ahead not focusing on anything. His eyes flickered to Scott when he groaned, he watched as his tan friend fell to the floor on his knees. His hands clutching at his head, his eyes glowing a bright amber that gave Stiles a very unsettled feeling. He was torn between helping the practically comatose girl in his hands or his struggling werewolf friend. He looked back quickly when he heard a deep growl coming from the now fully wolfed out Scott, and his decision was quickly made. He turned fully to Scott and needed to bring him back before they could deal with Thea. Stiles shifted his body to stand in front of Thea, protecting her with his body in case things got a little hairy with their current wolf situation. Scott stood from his crouched position and stalked towards the pair. All he could see were the black eyes beckoning him forwards, his mind was fuzzy and all he could focus on was the pull of those endless eyes. Through his wolfy haze, he couldn't even see Stiles standing in the way of those hypnotic eyes. He came closer and closer, until he stood right before that alluring gaze.

Stiles watched, paralysed with fear as Scott in his wolf form came close- too close for Stiles' comfort. He looked over his shoulder to check on the girl behind him- to see her onyx eyes focused entirely on the were-wolf stalking ever closer. He moved away from Thea, keeping his arm up in front of her body; on the off chance he'd need to push her out of the way and take on Scott himself. But he stood mainly off to the side to watch curiously at what was unfolding before his eyes. Scott was now stood directly in front of Thea, their coloured hues connected and completely fixated on one another. Stiles watched in abject interest as Scott dropped to his knees in front of Thea, Thea lifted her arm and stroked down Scott's hairy cheek. Letting her fingers graze over his exposed fangs, tracing over the flattened nose. A faint smile lit both their faces and Stiles watched on confused.

"_It's alright Thea, I've got you… And now you have him." _The words came from Thea's mouth, but it wasn't Thea's voice saying them. Not the one Stiles knew anyhow, it was deep and menacing. But also enticing with a promise held within it, it was almost ethereal in its lilt. And Stiles struggled not to step closer to the pair. They were in their own bubble, Thea caressing Scott's face, and Scott enjoying being petted like a house pet. And suddenly; Scott shook his head and slid away from the girl before his eyes flickered from amber to their usual hue. Thea on the other hand, began to shake- her eyes rolling back into her head all that could be seen were the whites, before she fell to the left and landed in Stiles' arms. Though the added weight pushed him to the ground also, Thea resting in his lap; as Scott finally came around and crawled to the pair leaning on the lockers.

"What the hell happened?" Scott asked alarmed at seeing Thea now unconscious in Stiles' arms. They both stared down at the girl, watching her chest move with deep breaths- they were checking she was still alive.

"Her eyes were black Scott. Black. And then you went full wolf-boy on me and let her pet you like a pet. And then she said something, but it wasn't her Scott. It wasn't her voice. I-it just wasn't." Stiles flustered his hands stroking hair from her face as she lay in his lap. Scott watched his best friend worry over the girl collected to him.

"What do you mean? It wasn't her?" Scott asked unsure, his voice soft and head shaking in confusion.

"It was her lips moving- but her voice was deep and I dunno scary maybe? I dunno, but it was weird and not her!" Stiles answered back, waving his hand in the air- before returning it to stroke over her hair. The two boys watched as Thea wriggled awake, mumbling to herself as she did. They looked at each other and decided not to tell her just yet. This obviously wasn't normal, not her counting or her other issues coming to play. This was a whole new game and they needed figure out the rules for themselves first.

"What happened? D-did I faint?" Thea asked still situated in Stiles' lap, not moving to sit up any time soon- she still felt woozy and didn't really know what was happening. The two boys shared a look before nodding at her. Thea watched as Stiles' eyes widened, and he moved his hands to rub just under her nose. When he brought his finger up for them all to see, they watched as the ruby red blood dripped down his finger. Thea gasped, holding her hands up to her nose- and tried desperately to stem the blood that was now flowing. Stiles wiped his finger on the leg of his jeans before helping Thea into a sitting position- then into a standing one and let her lean against him as they moved to where the nearest bathroom was located. Thea let Stiles lead her into the bathroom, he washed his hands as Thea stumbled to the paper towel dispenser on the wall- she shoved a handful against her nose hurriedly and let the towel soak up the scarlet liquid instead of her hands. Scott stood by the door, their bags all in his hands and watched the pair. Stiles was now drying his hands and once he finished joined Scott and watched as Thea dealt with the blood flowing from her nose. Each boy had a frown marring their handsome features.

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So there we have it Magic Bullet part 1. It's been a while I know. I'm sorry for that but I hope you enjoy reading this chapter and as always let me know what you think. In terms of the romance, it's still early days but I think it's pretty obvious which direction I'm going in. And we're another baby step closer to Thea finding out about what's going on with the boys, and saw something new from Thea.

Thank you for the reviews so far, I'm glad you like it!

As always you can ask me questions about the story or characters any time, I'm happy to hear from you!

Hope you enjoy Charlie :) x


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